Brighton player ratings vs Chelsea: Standout debutant gets an 8 but trio score a 5 after seven-goal thriller

The Seagulls had gone into the match having kept clean sheets in their opening three matches of the season – in all competitions – but found themselves three goals down inside half an hour.

Romeo Lavia, Pedro Neto and former Albion forward Joao Pedro all were on target, as Chelsea threatened to run riot against a Brighton team, missing several key players through injury.

But Malick Yalcouye gave Albion hope with a superb finish on his first Premier League start, after 35 minutes.

Brighton showed plenty of character, in an end-to-end second-half – which was operated without communications packs due to a technical issue. VAR remained in operation via a back-up system using messages sent to the referee's watch and radio communication to the fourth official if required.

Joao Pedro was in the thick of the action all afternoon and he got his second goal – albeit for his former team – just after the hour mark. The Brazilian – who had taken plenty of verbal abuse from the away fans – could only direct his attempted block past Emi Martinez, from Pascal Gross’ cross.

Brighton had chances to make it 3-3, with Diego Gomez – on his 50th appearance – twice going close, but Cole Palmer's outstanding finish put the result beyond doubt.

Gross powered in a last-minute header but it was merely a consolation prize in what ended up as a seven-goal thriller.

The defeat means Albion's three-match unbeaten start to the new season has come to an end, with Hurzeler's side left to reflect on difficult day defensively.

Here are our Albion player ratings:

Bart Verbruggen – 6: A difficult afternoon. His fumble played a major part in Chelsea's opener, although he made several important saves afterwards to keep Brighton in contention. Not much he could do about three of the goals and he wasn’t helped by those in front of him.

Ferdi Kadioglu – 5: Had a torrid time against Chelsea’s lively and pacey forwards, who repeatedly got the better of him. Improved after the break but remained under pressure.

Lewis Dunk – 5: Made some important defensive interventions, including a block to deny Pedro. Struggled against Chelsea's movement and was booked in the second half. Plenty thought he could have seen red today.

Luka Vuskovic – 6: His run of clean sheets at the start of his Brighton career is over. A difficult afternoon against Chelsea's attacking players. Rogers breezed past him in the build-up to Neto's goal. He did look good on the ball once again, though. He will learn from this experience against a strong attacking team.

Mats Wieffer – 5: Initially did well to stop the ball on the line for Chelsea's opener, only for the danger to eventually result in a goal. A mix-up with his compatriot, Verbruggen, in the heat of the moment. Beaten for pace in the build-up to the third.

Olivier Boscagli – 6: Deployed in a defensive midfield role and it did not work in the first-half. Improved after the break and produced a superb delivery for Gomez's huge second-half chance. It had to be a goal really. The Frenchman was one of four players to be booked.

Pascal Gross – 7: Worked tirelessly and played an important role in Brighton's attempted comeback with an assist and a goal.

Maxim De Cuyper – 6: Won a dangerous free-kick and offered some attacking threat, although Chelsea's pace caused problems defensively.

Malick Yalcouye – 8: Brighton's standout performer. A superb finish for his first Premier League goal on his first league start, while his pass to Gross helped create the second. Full of energy and a major positive for Albion.

Diego Gomez – 6: A frustrating 50th appearance. Had a huge chance to score from Boscagli's delivery but headed wide, before later forcing Martinez into a good save. Could have had a hat-trick.

Charalampos Kostoulas – 6: Worked hard and linked well with Yalcouye for Brighton's first goal, but found chances limited during a difficult first half.

Substitutes

Ibrahim Osman – 6: Brought on for Yalcouye and provided fresh energy during Brighton's attempts to get back into the game.

Promise David – 6: Late introduction with limited time to make an impact, with Albion two goals down.

Costinha – 6: Booked for hauling down Pedro, as Chelsea countered. Could have prevented a fifth goal in the process.