Chelsea beat Brighton 4–3 with 25.6% possession and top the league

Chelsea beat Brighton with record-low possession

Chelsea 4–3 Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, and your team did it holding just 25.6% of the ball (2) (3). That is the lowest possession figure in Premier League history for a winning side. The three points send Chelsea top of the table.

Alonso did not care how it looked. "I want to win, whatever it takes to win and each game can be different so we need to prepare for the best, we need to train for the best and be prepared for whatever scenario we have," he said (2).

Enzo Fernandez and Pedro Neto could both leave

Xabi Alonso has stopped short of guaranteeing either Enzo Fernandez or Pedro Neto stays through the transfer deadline (4). "I don't guarantee anything," he said (4). Manchester City are readying a British record bid for Fernandez. ESPN asked the blunt question: can Chelsea afford to let him go, given how well the side has played since he was dropped (5).

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Lamine Camara deal agreed at €45m

Chelsea have agreed a €45m move for Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara, and it comes as the Fernandez exit gathers pace (9) (12). Camara slots in alongside Roméo Lavia and Moises Caicedo in midfield. Liverpool, meanwhile, are in talks over Pedro Neto, with Cody Gakpo's exit looming at Anfield (10).

Honest Ahanor signs, straight to Palace on loan

Chelsea have agreed a £40m deal with Atalanta for 18-year-old defender Honest Ahanor, who then joins Crystal Palace on loan immediately (11). His medical is booked for Monday (7) (8). Palace get a ready-made starter, Chelsea bank the development year.

Jamie Gittens stays after loan U-turn

Chelsea have reversed course and blocked Jamie Gittens from joining Roma on loan (13). The winger was thought to be heading to Serie A, but the club have now ruled it out before the deadline (13).

Emery: Villa and Chelsea are enemies

Unai Emery says the steady flow of transfers between Aston Villa and Chelsea changes nothing. "We are enemies who want to kill each other on the pitch," he said (6). Morgan Rogers and Nicolas Jackson are just the latest to cross that divide.

Injuries: Caicedo, Henderson, Palestra

Moises Caicedo, Jordan Henderson and Marco Palestra are all in the treatment room, with return dates still to be pinned down (1). Your next two are Arsenal away on Sunday, then Hull City at home on September 12.

Fan reactions

The Ahanor signing has the subreddit curious. One fan posted a full Sofascore analysis of the Atalanta teenager, arguing he is underrated compared to Chelsea's other signings. Plenty are already tracking the Camara deal as the Fernandez replacement, and the mood is split between excitement at the new names and unease about who walks out the door first.

Sources

  • 1. uk.sports.yahoo.com — Chelsea injury update: Moises Caicedo, Jordan Henderson and Marco Palestra latest news and return dates
  • 2. sports.yahoo.com — Xabi Alonso wants Chelsea to approach every game with ‘whatever it takes to win’
  • 3. fussballnationalmannschaft.net — Premier League, 2. Spieltag Sonntag: Chelsea siegt, Fernandes trifft dreifach
  • 4. uk.sports.yahoo.com — 'I don't guarantee anything' - Xabi Alonso issues major DOUBLE transfer update as Enzo Fernandez nears British record Man City move
  • 5. espn.com — Alonso dropping Fernández has worked -- so far. Can Chelsea afford to let him go?
  • 6. theguardian.com — Aston Villa and Chelsea still enemies despite transfer pipeline, insists Emery
  • 7. gianlucadimarzio.com — Ahanor al Palace, il prestito è dall'Atalanta. Poi il Chelsea: i dettagli
  • 8. gianlucadimarzio.com — Crystal Palace in chiusura per Ahanor: verrà girato in prestito dal Chelsea
  • 9. talkchelsea.net — Chelsea reach €45m agreement for midfielder – not a moment too soon
  • 10. anfieldindex.com — Report: Liverpool ‘in talks’ over late move for Chelsea star
  • 11. sport1.pl — 40 milionów funtów za 18-latka! Chelsea kupuje talent i natychmiast go oddaje
  • 12. africasoccer.com — Chelsea line up Lamine Camara move as Enzo Fernandez exit gathers pace
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