Brighton v Chelsea player ratings

Chelsea began their Premier League season with an away victory against Brighton. Here’s how we rated each Blues player in the 3-1 victory at the Amex Stadium.

Kepa Arrizabalaga: 5

Having regained his place, Kepa would have been desperate for a performance without even the slightest hint of a mistake. As it was, the Spaniard made a hash of Leandro Trossard’s 25-yard strike, getting his dive all wrong and allowing it to dip under him. Kepa also looked unconvincing from set-pieces.

Reece James: 7

A stonking first Premier League goal capped an increasingly strong performance by the 20-year-old right-back, who also showed his versatility by seamlessly moving into midfield late on. But there were still one or two moments where his inexperience betrayed him and he rashly dived in.

Andreas Christensen: 8

The Dane had a mightily impressive match, showing great awareness of looming danger and making some vital blocks and interceptions. His ability to read the game leaps out and he ran Timo Werner close for the accolade of best Chelsea player on the pitch.

Kurt Zouma: 7

A rare goal for the big Frenchman, albeit via a telling deflection, was reward for a solid defensive performance.

Marcos Alonso: 6

Alonso was always available, always a willing runner and created several dangerous moments, but he had a tough time dealing with the pace of former Chelsea full-back Tariq Lamptey.

Jorginho: 7

A brilliant pass for Werner led to Jorginho coolly converting the penalty opener and Chelsea’s captain for the night showed all his trademark composure on the ball but perhaps sat too deep at times and was part of a midfield that failed to seize control.

N’Golo Kante: 7

He took time to settle but was a major influence in the second half and stepped up his level of performance when the game was in the balance.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek: 5

The England midfielder really struggled, looking off the pace and wasting a couple of excellent attacking situations – notably when Timo Werner was racing through on goal. He was fortunate not be taken off at the break, but only lasted another 15 minutes before making way.

Kai Havertz: 6

At times Havertz looked majestic as he glided around the pitch, but he did not see anywhere near as much of the ball as he or boss Frank Lampard would have liked. There is clearly plenty more to come, but he did not seem to adjust to the pace of the game and rarely looked comfortable in his defensive work from wide areas.

Mason Mount: 7

A display full of running and good defensive work, but Mount had little chance to shine in attacking areas with Chelsea under pressure for much of the first half. He looked more of a threat as the game wore on.

Timo Werner: 9

Werner’s debut lived up to the hype, showing terrorising pace, commendable workrate and quality when it mattered. The German won the penalty for Jorginho’s opener and was a menace throughout.

Ross Barkley: 7

Barkley brought much-needed energy in his 30 minutes on the pitch and made more of a contribution than the man he replaced, Loftus-Cheek.

Callum Hudson-Odoi: 6

Looked sharp enough in his late cameo but did not see much of the ball and, when he did, the England winger did not really have the chance to create.