Chelsea Survive Brighton Thriller as Martinez Shines on Debut, While Leeds and Sunderland Pick Up Key Points

The Premier League delivered another action-packed round of fixtures, with Chelsea surviving a seven-goal thriller against Brighton, Leeds battling back to earn a point against Brentford, and Sunderland securing their first league win of the season. Emiliano Martinez made an immediate impact on his Chelsea debut, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Wilson Isidor found the net for Leeds and Sunderland respectively.

Chelsea 4-3 Brighton: Martinez shines on debut as Blues survive late scare

Chelsea beat Brighton 4-3 in a wild, goal-packed game at Stamford Bridge, keeping their unbeaten start to the season going and giving new signing Emiliano Martinez a memorable first outing in a Chelsea shirt.

Romeo Lavia opened his Chelsea account after just four minutes, poking home a loose ball after Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen failed to hold onto a header from Joao Pedro. Pedro Neto doubled the lead ten minutes later, and Joao Pedro, up against his old club, made it 3-0 in the 32nd minute.

It looked like a routine win for Xabi Alonso's side, but Brighton refused to fold. Malick Yalcouye pulled one back just before half-time after Martinez had made a good early stop, and Pascal Gross added a second with a shot that took a heavy deflection off Joao Pedro.

Cole Palmer settled Chelsea's nerves with a well-taken curling finish in the 74th minute to make it 4-2, only for Gross to head in a third for Brighton right at the death. It wasn't enough, though, and Chelsea held on for the win.

The story of the day belonged to Martinez. The Argentine keeper was named in the starting line-up less than four hours after his £7.5m transfer from Aston Villa was made official, and he repaid the faith with a string of important saves, including a diving stop to deny Diego Gomez and another to keep out Olivier Boscagli late on. He couldn't do much about the two goals he conceded, both of which came from close range or deflections.

Martinez's arrival puts pressure on Robert Sanchez, who wasn't even named in the squad after a shaky display in Chelsea's opening-day win at Fulham. With the transfer window closing on Tuesday, a move away from Stamford Bridge now looks like a real possibility for the Spanish keeper.

For Brighton, the result is a reality check after their impressive 4-0 opening-day win over Aston Villa. Manager Fabian Hurzeler will take some encouragement from a much-improved second-half performance, and from another strong showing by 20-year-old Malick Yalcouye, who was involved in both of the visitors' first two goals.

Chelsea's next test is a big one: a trip to champions Arsenal on Sunday, 6 September.

Leeds 1-1 Brentford: Calvert-Lewin strike earns battling point at Elland Road

Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored his first goal of the season as Leeds fought back from a poor first half to draw 1-1 with Brentford at Elland Road, with both teams keeping their unbeaten starts to the season intact.

Brentford were much the better side early on and deservedly took the lead through Kevin Schade, who finished off a neat move with a clever flick. Leeds struggled to get going and didn't manage a single shot on target in the entire first half.

The hosts came out for the second half with far more purpose, growing into the game as the crowd got behind them. That pressure paid off when Calvert-Lewin tapped in from close range after Lukas Nmecha picked him out with a cross.

From there, the game opened up. Leeds keeper James Trafford produced a fine save to deny Igor Thiago's header, and both sides pushed for a winner in the closing stages. Calvert-Lewin thought he'd won it late on, beating Caoimhin Kelleher only to be flagged offside, and Brentford just about held on for the point.

It was a game of two very different halves. Leeds boss Daniel Farke will be pleased with how his side dug in after being outplayed for long spells, showing the kind of resilience that, combined with their opening win over Nottingham Forest, gives fans plenty to be optimistic about early in the season.

Brentford, fresh off a surprise win over Tottenham in their opener, will be a little frustrated not to have taken all three points given how dominant they were for the first hour. One bright spot for the visitors was another impressive display from midfielder Mamadou Sangare, who continues to catch the eye after standing out in the win against Spurs.

Sunderland 1-0 Fulham: Substitute Isidor nets winner for Black Cats' first league win

Wilson Isidor came off the bench to score the only goal as Sunderland beat Fulham 1-0, picking up their first Premier League win of the season in a scrappy, low-quality match at the Stadium of Light.

Isidor was introduced in the 64th minute and almost made an instant impact, striking the foot of the post after being set up by Granit Xhaka and Enzo le Fee. He didn't have to wait long for his goal, though. In the 75th minute, fellow substitute Habib Diarra burst down the right and fired in a low cross that Fulham keeper Bernd Leno couldn't hold onto, and Isidor was on hand to slot the rebound home.

Fulham, under new manager Alvaro Arbeloa, struggled to create anything of note and finished the game without a single shot on target. It's a tough start for the Cottagers, who have now lost both their opening two league matches.

Sunderland's best chance of the first half fell to Trai Hume, who failed to connect with a cross from Thomas Meunier just five yards out. The rest of the half was largely forgettable, but the Black Cats' organised, hard-working defensive display eventually told, with Nordi Mukiele and Romaine Mundle both making crucial late blocks to preserve the clean sheet.

Xhaka was the standout performer, controlling the game with his passing range and leadership from midfield. The win will be a big relief for manager Regis le Bris after Sunderland lost 2-1 at newly-promoted Ipswich in their opening game, a match settled by a late goal from former Sunderland winger Jack Clarke.

There's more for Sunderland fans to look forward to as well. Friday's Europa League draw handed them a mouth-watering away trip to AC Milan on 10 December, along with home games against AZ Alkmaar, Dinamo Zagreb, Jagiellonia and Levski Sofia, plus further away days in Poland, Portugal and Belgium. The challenge now will be managing a squad that has to cope with a much heavier fixture schedule, often playing twice a week between Thursday and Sunday.