Alyssa Thompson's brilliant header and Lexi Potter's first Women's Super League goal allowed Chelsea to open up a four-point cushion inside the Champions League spots on Wednesday with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Brighton. Amid growing injury concerns, Sonia Bompastor could only name two senior outfield players on her bench and the Seagulls gave her side plenty to worry about as they coped with a short turnaround from Sunday's League Cup final victory. But as was the case at the weekend, Chelsea showed all their experience to get a vital win.It didn't start well for the Blues. Madison Haley was causing Lucy Bronze all sorts of problems as the England star again lined up at centre-back, rather than in her usual right-back role, due to the plethora of absences. Indeed, the American had two early half-chances to put Brighton ahead, only to be thwarted by a strong Veerle Buurman block in the first instance and a good recovery from Bronze the second time around.When Thompson broke the deadlock early on, it looked like it would settle the hosts. Nice work between Lauren James and Sandy Baltimore down the left created the opportunity for the latter to cross, and Thompson adjusted brilliantly to power a header behind Chiamaka Nnadozie. However, it took less than five minutes for Brighton to level the scores, and it was a goal they deserved, even if it came in rather fortunate circumstances. Carla Camacho caused Bronze a headache this time, though Hannah Hampton's misjudgement as the deflected shot came her way played a big role in the ball nestling in the back of the net, too.Fortunately for Hampton, her blushes would be spared by a player who might be an England team-mate as well as a Chelsea one not before long. Making her first start in the WSL for the Blues, 19-year-old Potter was enjoying an impressive full debut even before she marked it with a goal, but a fierce strike after another brilliant Baltimore cross would allow the Chelsea academy product to enjoy an incredible moment as she restored her side's lead just before half-time.There weren't many chances for either side after that, with Nnadozie making a good save to deny Aggie Beever-Jones while Keira Walsh flashed a low strike just wide as the Blues figured out how to stifle a lively Brighton attack and see the game out. Chelsea are now back inside the WSL's three Champions League places, four points above fourth-placed Arsenal, albeit with the Gunners boasting two games in hand.GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Kingsmeadow...Hannah Hampton (5/10):Won't want to see Brighton's goal back. A rare error from a world-class goalkeeper but one that, fortunately for her, didn't prove costly. Didn't do much wrong after that, at least.Sjoeke Nusken (7/10):Was caught out once or twice but this was a pretty solid performance in an unfamiliar position for the midfielder, as she used her great versatility to help Chelsea deal with all the defensive injuries.Lucy Bronze (7/10):Struggled to cope with Haley and Camacho at times early on, but soon got to grips with it all and produced several important interventions at the back.Veerle Buurman (8/10):Another rock-solid display from a teenager whose stock continues to rise. Big block to deny Haley in the opening minutes set the tone for her night.Sandy Baltimore (8/10):Caused problems down the left throughout, linking up nicely with James and delivering some really dangerous crosses, including the two that led to both goals.Keira Walsh (7/10):Tidy on the ball while also showing ambition with it to try and play team-mates in behind. Worked well with Potter, despite a lack of game time together. Lexi Potter (8/10):A dream full WSL debut for Chelsea. Great on the ball, displayed good movement off it and scored a fantastic goal that won the game.Wieke Kaptein (6/10):Did plenty of running and got through tons of work, but couldn't quite be her most effective in attack in a tight game.Alyssa Thompson (8/10):Scored a brilliant header to break the deadlock and showed good movement off the ball all night to keep Brighton's defence on their toes.Aggie Beever-Jones (7/10):Got through plenty of hard work on and off the ball, and forced Nnadozie into a great save with her one real chance. Lauren James (8/10):Glided around causing problems all night. Regularly involved in Chelsea's best play before going off before the hour, with Bompastor clearly having an eye on the busy schedule ahead.Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reportingKadeisha Buchanan (7/10):Got another 30 minutes under her belt as she continues to work her way back from an ACL injury. Looked strong again, especially given she was settling in at centre-back midway through a tight game.Erin Cuthbert (7/10):Helped Chelsea grab firm control of the game when she came into the midfield just past the hour.Chloe Sarwie (N/A):Got another appearance under her belt in the final minutes, making a fantastic recovery tackle within seconds of coming on as Chelsea saw out the win.Sonia Bompastor (7/10):Had her hands tied again with injuries, but still managed to hand out some vital rests to players like Cuthbert from the start and James during the game, while also giving Potter a great opportunity and getting a result.