Has Sancho finally found his home?

Chelsea 4-2 Brighton

History will remember Saturday's 4-2 defeat of Brighton & Hove Albion, quite rightfully, for the heroics of Cole Palmer.

Four goals in 20 first-half minutes were just reward for a remarkable individual performance, one of the finest seen at Stamford Bridge in recent memory.

However, so large did the performance of Palmer loom over the affair, one could almost be forgiven for forgetting the impact of Jadon Sancho, whose first home start as a Chelsea player showed strong signs of a resurgence for the often-maligned English forward.

Sancho was largely terrific in the first half, causing constant issues for a Brighton backline whose high line simply could not cope with a barrage of Chelsea counters. In fact, it was arguably his best Premier League performance to date.

A goal narrowly chalked off for off-side, a penalty won following a brilliant burst down the wing, and a tidy assist for Palmer's fourth goal marked a strong first start in his new home.

"I'm happy to have been able to assist for goals in recent games, I'm settling in well here and I just want to keep this momentum going and keep being able to assist my team-mates. Or even get a first goal, that would be nice!" Sancho told Chelseafc.com

"I thought I started off a bit slow [against Brighton] but I feel like I grew into the game. I managed to win the penalty, and I got the assist for Cole, so I'm happy to be able to contribute."

Whilst fans will approach this apparent return to form with a healthy dose of cautious optimism, there is a sense that the left-wing position could be his to lose should he continue in this vein.

It now makes three assists in three games since trading red for blue, the sort of form fans were expecting from him when he made his move back from Germany in 2021.

What was immediately apparent was his desire to take his man on the outside. Not once but twice in the first half Sancho found himself beating his man and heading to the byline following a burst of pace, the sort of aggression missing from his time at Manchester United.

Such was the response to the performance that Chelsea fans rose to their feet when he was replaced by Mykhailo Mudryk at the 70-minute mark, a fact Sancho himself was delighted by.

"Overall, I was just happy to play at Stamford Bridge for the first time as a Chelsea player. It was a great feeling, and I really appreciated the reception I got from the fans," he added.

"It was a great feeling [to get a standing ovation from the fans] and my family and friends were in the crowd for the game, so that made it extra special."

Chelsea now finds themselves sitting in fourth position in the league with no team having scored more goals than the resurgent Blues.

With a myriad of attacking choices waiting in the wings for Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, Sancho knows there will be competition waiting around every corner.

Whether he can keep up his welcome return to form is yet to be seen. More performances like that on Saturday, and the left-wing spot will be his position to lose.

Chelsea host K.A.A. Gent in a Europa League tie at Stamford Bridge this Thursday (October 3) before once again playing host to Nottingham Forest this Sunday (October 6).