Emiliano Martinez says Chelsea must quickly reduce the number of goals they are conceding after making his debut in a dramatic 4-3 Premier League win over Brighton at Stamford Bridge.
The goalkeeper joined Chelsea from Aston Villa for a reported £7.5m and was immediately involved in a high-scoring match as Xabi Alonso’s side recorded their second league victory under the manager.
Chelsea appeared to be in control after taking a three-goal lead. Romeo Lavia, Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro all found the net before Malick Yalcouye pulled one back for Brighton.
The visitors were given further encouragement when Joao Pedro scored an own goal, setting up a tense final half-hour. Cole Palmer restored Chelsea’s two-goal advantage, but Pascal Gross headed Brighton’s third before the final whistle.
Chelsea have now conceded five goals in their two Premier League matches since Alonso took charge.
“A win is a win. I know it wasn’t a perfect game. But in the end, winning and moving on is what we need. We’ve got 36 games left, and it’s one week after another,” Martinez told Sky Sports.
“I am here for a reason. The front three is amazing. When we go forward, we can hurt teams. We had a lot of chances to finish the game. Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro had chances to kill the game. At the back, we need to bring the goals down.”
Martinez, who spent seven years at Aston Villa, said he had moved to Chelsea to compete for major honours and help the club improve defensively.
“I know how big this club is and what we want to achieve this season. I came here to help.
“I had an amazing seven years at Aston Villa. I have come here to challenge and to try and win the Premier League.
“I trained only one day with the team. The guys have treated me really well in the last day or two. I know the talent we have up front. I try to bring that solidity in the back.”
Despite losing, Brighton dominated possession at Stamford Bridge. Fabian Hurzeler’s team recorded 74.4% of the ball, the highest share achieved by any side in a Premier League match against Chelsea.
Brighton head coach Hurzeler was disappointed that his side failed to leave west London with at least a point, although he praised the way his players responded after falling three goals behind.
“It’s a frustrating result. Although we showed a good performance, we weren’t brilliant at the basics,” Hurzeler told beIN SPORTS.
“We really had an opportunity to take something away from here. We dominated the game, we had the ball, we created plenty of chances.
“In certain moments, we could’ve done better, so that’s something we have to improve. But I’m proud of the boys.
“In the second half, we showed the belief that we were there to get something. Overall, it was a frustrating afternoon, but we will take plenty of positives away.”