Cole Palmer has shown more signs of a return to his top form by completing the scoring for Chelsea in its wild 4-3 win over Brighton in the Premier League on SundayBySTEVE DOUGLAS AP sports writerAugust 30, 2026, 11:04 AMCole Palmer showed more signs of a return to his top form by completing the scoring for Chelsea in its wild 4-3 win over Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday.The playmaker was a revelation in the 2023-24 season — his first at Chelsea — when scoring 22 league goals but he has struggled with injuries and a loss of form since, culminating in Palmer missing out on a place in England’s World Cup squad this summer.In front of England coach Thomas Tuchel, Palmer ran 30 meters before curling home a shot from the edge of the area for Chelsea’s fourth goal at Stamford Bridge to end Brighton’s realistic hopes of a comeback in an end-to-end thriller.Romeo Lavia and Pedro Neto put Chelsea 2-0 ahead by the 14th minute before Joao Pedro added a third in the 32nd for Xabi Alonso’s team.Malick Yalcouyé pulled a goal back for Brighton just before halftime, and the visitors further reduced the deficit when Pedro deflected a cross from Pascal Gross into his own net in the 63rd.Palmer’s goal clinched a second straight victory for Chelsea, which opened its league campaign by beating Fulham 3-2 on Monday. Palmer scored in that game, too.Brighton netted its third, through Gross, with the last kick of the game.A negative for Chelsea was an injury to key midfielder Moises Caicedo, who lasted just 14 minutes after his return to the team as a second-half substitute.Emi Martinez played as goalkeeper for Chelsea hours after completing his move from Aston Villa.Popular ReadsIn other matches, Sunderland beat Fulham 1-0 thanks to substitute Wilson Isidor's goal for a first win of the season and Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored Leeds' equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Brentford.Manchester United hosts Ipswich later, looking to rebound from an opening-round loss to another promoted team in Hull.___Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80___See AP’s full soccer coverage here