Xabi Alonso Reveals Why Chelsea Lost Control After Taking 3-0 Lead Against Brighton

Chelsea beat Brighton 4-3 on Sunday, but the win came with a strange twist: the Blues barely touched the ball all game.

Under new boss Xabi Alonso, Chelsea kept their perfect start to the season alive, though it wasn't easy. They raced out to a 3-0 lead inside 32 minutes thanks to goals from Romeo Lavia, Pedro Neto, and Joao Pedro. After that, things fell apart a bit. Brighton clawed back through a goal from Malick Yalcouye and an own goal by Joao Pedro. Cole Palmer added a late Chelsea goal to settle nerves, but Brighton's Pascal Gross scored again in stoppage time to make the final minutes tense. Chelsea held on for the win.

What stood out most wasn't the scoreline. It was the numbers. Chelsea had just 25.6% possession and completed only 146 passes, both the lowest totals for the club in a Premier League game since records began in 2003-04, according to Opta. Their pass accuracy of 67% was also their worst in a home league match since 2004.

Alonso wasn't worried about the stats after the match. He said his players eased off once they built a big lead, choosing to manage the game instead of keep attacking. He added that raw numbers don't tell the full story and that what matters is how the team plays and adapts during different moments of a match. He also brushed off any talk of complacency, calling it a normal part of a team still learning to play together under a new manager.

Asked about the numbers, he told reporters: "You need to have context to every data for sure. After 30 minutes we have scored [to make it] 3-0, probably in that moment we have played too much with the result instead of keep playing. So the data is not important, it is how you play and what we can do better.

"But it is never that approach, I don’t say today we need to have 60 per cent or 20 per cent. I never talk about those things, it is about how to prepare, how to be more competitive. But the good thing is that you need to adapt, even during the game there are different moments and some moments that we have done really, really well and other moments that we can do better."

Alonso pointed out that even at halftime, with Chelsea up 3-1, he warned his players that a two-goal lead in the Premier League is never fully safe.

The Spaniard: "It's quite normal. It happens in many teams, other teams that they have already worked together and they have more games together. 

"Normally this idea, how to manage those moments is already more good. We are in this process. So I am sure... in the future we can manage it better because in the Premier League, even in half-time we were 3-1 and I said guys, 2-0 lead, with two goals lead in the Premier League, it is not done.

"We need to still focus on playing, scoring goals, defending well and after we could have scored the fifth one and many things happened in the game."

Chelsea's next test looks a lot tougher. They travel to face defending champions Arsenal at the Emirates next Sunday. Arsenal could even move above Chelsea into third place if they beat Aston Villa on Monday night. 

Alonso admitted his side will need a different plan against Arsenal, since he doesn't expect a repeat of the loose, end-to-end style seen against Brighton. With Arsenal expected to control possession at home, Chelsea's counter-attacking approach will face a much bigger examination