Sjoeke Nusken’s double helped secure Chelsea a comeback 4-2 win over Brighton to go joint top of the Women’s Super League.

The Seagulls took the lead against the run of play at Kingsmeadow as summer signing Pauline Bremer scored her first goal for the club when she poked home Katie Robinson’s pinpoint delivery in the 10th minute.

A superb rearguard effort from the visitors, which included goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley making a string of brilliant saves, kept the hosts at bay right up until the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time, only for Nusken to head in Jess Carter’s cross.

The German midfielder gave her team the lead in the 52nd minute and the floodgates looked set to open following Guro Bergsvand’s own-goal in the 74th minute.

Goals from substitutes Aggie Beever-Jones and Brighton’s Elisabeth Terland in the 82nd and 89th minute respectively capped off a frantic finale, as Emma Hayes’ side went level on points with first-placed Manchester City on Sunday.

Chelsea nearly took the lead in the sixth minute as Fran Kirby curled a sumptuous effort onto the crossbar but it was the visitors who stunned the home side.

Following neat interplay out from defence, Robinson drilled an inch-perfect pass across the six-yard box and Bremer was on hand to tap home to silence the crowd.

Despite being behind, the hosts reasserted their dominance and were a whisker away from an equaliser through Nusken, only for Baggaley to make a superb fingertip save.

The former Manchester United stopper then expertly denied Kirby when the England international was through on goal, before doing the same to keep out Sam Kerr from close range.

A breathless passage of play followed when Kirby hit the bar again, and Kerr and Eve Perisset’s shots were miraculously kept out following a goalmouth scramble.

Chelsea were inches away from being on the receiving end of another sucker punch as Bremer’s stabbed effort from 10 yards was pushed away by an alert Ann-Katrin Berger in goal.

But the pressure eventually told for Melissa Phillips’ side as Jess Carter’s persistence resulted in Nusken heading home the defender’s cross seconds before the break.

The reigning WSL champions continued to turn the screw after the interval and took the lead as Kerr laid it off to the unmarked Nusken for her second.

Brighton were still causing Chelsea problems on occasion, however, as Bremer’s top corner-bound strike was well saved by Berger, and the German striker then powered a header just wide after the hour mark.

An own goal from Bergsvand gave the home team a two-goal cushion as Chelsea cut apart Brighton with ease. Beever-Jones made it 4-1 to rubber-stamp their dominance, only for Terland to bag her fourth goal of the WSL season.

The result means Chelsea have 10 points from a possible 12 heading into the international break.