Chelsea defeated west London rivals Fulham 3-2 at Craven Cottage in Xabi Alonso’s debut game as manager, with goals from Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers, and Cole Palmer.
Momentum swung back and forth as we had the perfect start to a half. Palmer slipped a pass into Joao Pedro’s path after just 32 seconds, and Pedro broke past the Fulham defense to score.
Josh King gave Fulham an equalizer in the 23rd minute, but Alonso’s team rallied and rightfully took the lead going into halftime when Rogers scored on his debut following superb work by Maxence Lacroix.
Early in the second half, Palmer finished an attack that included assistance from Joao Pedro and Rogers to get his name on the scoreboard. However, Fulham swiftly retaliated with Gonzalo Garcia.
For what was left, the Blues had to put in a lot of work. Grit and drive were key, and we succeeded in giving Alonso and our Premier League campaign a victorious start.
Perfect start
Due to minor setbacks, Marco Palestra and Moises Caicedo were unable to play. Robert Sanchez, Josh Acheampong, Maxence Lacroix, Levi Colwill, Malo Gusto, captain Reece James, Romeo Lavia, Jorrel Hato, Palmer, Rogers, and Joao Pedro made up Alonso’s starting lineup.
Alonso had high hopes for a feisty West London derby, and he was right. However, we got off to a flawless start at Craven Cottage, scoring our first goal in less than 35 seconds.
When a Fulham clearing was launched into the Chelsea half, there didn’t seem to be much danger, but Lacroix won his header, the ball broke to Palmer, who skillfully flicked it into Joao Pedro’s path. The Brazilian lifted a beautiful finish after breaking free of the Fulham defense with his first touch over Leno.
The Blues attackers were allowed to start expressing themselves after the goal, which was an instant settlement. Throughout the first half, Rogers and Palmer made good connections and created opportunities. In the former, a strong shot from the area’s edge was blocked; in the later, a strong drive caused Bernd Leno to make a near-post save.
Fulham retaliated
Fulham began to gain momentum as the half went on. Cesar Palacios shot harmlessly over the crossbar from the corner after King forced Sanchez to make a deft reflex stop.
Midway through the first forty-five minutes, the host team did manage to tie the score when King broke into the penalty area and drilled a shot past Sanchez thanks to a deft exchange of passes down the Blues’ left flank. Alonso’s response was required.
Right response
It arrived swiftly. We produced multiple opportunities after fending off a period of Fulham pressure. The first came from Joao Pedro, who volleyed a Palmer cross just wide. James then tested Leno after Rogers’ attempt was blocked.
Following a skillfully executed short corner by the Blues, Lavia was the next player to be stopped by the Fulham custodian, who responded superbly to deny the Belgian midfielder from close range.
Four minutes prior to the interval, we were finally rewarded for our hard work. Palmer collected control on the half-turn and then passed the ball to Lacroix, who did a fantastic job of sneaking past Jorge Cuenca and crossing from the byline.
Rogers, a fellow summer acquisition, scored on his Blues debut by sweeping in a finish after the ball sped over the Fulham penalty area.
The energetic Palmer had time before halftime to try for a third, and he came near with a curled attempt from 20 yards that whistled just wide. Importantly, though, we started ahead.
Keeping up the momentum
Palmer continued where he left off in the first half, and Alonso would not have wanted his team to falter since the game felt in our hands.
The Blues’ No. 10 nearly guided a finish into the far post during one incredible run in which he skipped past many challenges. However, there was no error after a short while.
Sanchez initiated our third goal by driving a pass in Rogers’ direction. Joao Pedro leaped into the Fulham half after the England international hooked a header onto him. Pedro then waited for Palmer to overlap before slipping in his fellow attacker.
Palmer considered his few alternatives and decided to direct a shot between Leno’s knees. The Blues scored a third goal when the Fulham custodian was defeated.