Joao Pedro Stars Against Former Club as Chelsea Beat Brighton 4-2
Chelsea scored four at Stamford Bridge to beat Brighton 4-2 in Matchweek 3 of the 2026/27 Premier League season, with Joao Pedro at the centre of everything against the club he left just over a year ago.
Romeo Lavia set the tone inside four minutes, sweeping in his first Chelsea goal to give the home side an early lead. Pedro Neto doubled it, tapping in from close range, though he would later be caught over-committing in the build-up to Brighton's first goal. Then came Joao Pedro — a clever flick to set up the opener and a composed finish for Chelsea's third, an afternoon that earned him an 8 in BBC Sport's player ratings BBC Sport. Cole Palmer, rated 8 alongside him, curled in a 75th-minute effort that put the result beyond doubt.
Brighton pushed hard for an equaliser in the second half, pressing Chelsea back and asking questions of a defence that wobbled when Neto lost the ball high up the pitch. They could not find enough.
There was a moment that stopped the football. Moises Caicedo, on as a substitute, left the pitch in tears after just 11 minutes BBC Sport. The other Chelsea changes — Josh Acheampong, Reece James, Pep Chavarria and Valentin Barco — were routine. Caicedo's early exit was not.
For Joao Pedro, this fixture carried extra weight. Chelsea signed him from Brighton in the summer of 2025 for a fee in excess of £50 million The Athletic. Eight days before this match, he put pen to paper on a contract extension keeping him at Stamford Bridge until 2034 Reuters. Scoring against the club that sold him, barely a week after committing his long-term future to his new one, gave the afternoon a narrative edge that needed no embellishment.
Lewis Dunk fouled Joao Pedro during the match Reuters — a small flashpoint between the Brighton captain and the man who used to wear his colours.
Opta's supercomputer had given Chelsea a 51.8% chance of winning, with Brighton at 25% and the draw at 23.2% ESPN. The probabilities held.
Chelsea's all-time record against Brighton now reads 16 wins, 5 draws and 7 defeats from 28 meetings in all competitions Chelsea FC. Last season, Brighton came from behind to beat 10-man Chelsea 3-1 on this ground Premier League. Different day, different story.
What lingers from this one is not the scoreline alone. It is Caicedo walking off in tears, the nature of his injury still unknown. It is Joao Pedro, eight days into a contract that runs until 2034, flicking and finishing against the team that let him go. And it is Palmer, doing what Palmer does — finding the net when the moment demands it.
