Report, outcome, targets as Blues make profitable begin underneath Alonso
Chelsea obtained off to a profitable begin within the Premier League underneath Xabi Alonso with an entertaining 3-2 win over Fulham on Monday evening.
Morgan Rogers scored on his Chelsesa debut following his £117million transfer to the Blues over the summer time, with Joao Pedro and Participant-of-the-match Cole Palmer scoring throughout an thrilling introduction for his or her new-look entrance three.
Fulham had been near getting one thing out of the sport, nonetheless, with Josh King cancelling out Pedro’s opener within the first half earlier than debutant Gonzalo Garcia additionally discovering the online within the second half.
Pedro will get Alonso reign off to lightning begin
After lots of their potential rivals on the prime finish of the pitch, Chelsea knew that they had the possibility to make an announcement underneath their new supervisor and so they made the best begin after solely 31 seconds when Pedro put them 1-0 up at Craven Cottage.
After Levi Colwill cleared a protracted ball into the ft of Cole Palmer, the England ahead took one contact and slid in his attacking companion Pedro, who chipped the ball over Bernd Leno with terrific composure.
There have been promising early indicators for his or her new-look attacking trio, with Palmer and Pedro combining nicely with £117million signing Rogers as Chelsea made a powerful begin.
It was Rogers who was capable of win the ball excessive up and feed his pal Palmer, who took barely too lengthy earlier than chopping inside and noticed his shot blocked.
Regardless of the guests dominating early on, a handful of moments may have given Fulham encouragement for a method into the sport, with a driving Josh King run making a nervy second for the Chelsea backline.
King smashes Fulham again stage
And moments later, it was promising teenager King who was celebrating the equaliser after discovering area once more on the right-hand facet of the field, earlier than he smashed an effort previous Robert Sanchez, who completely ought to have performed higher with the shot very central.
Fulham continued on the entrance foot from that second and had Chelsea on the ropes, with Timothy Catagne’s volley blocked earlier than Gonzalo Garcia look destined to attain earlier than very important block.
However a couple of minutes later, an enormous Chelsea likelihood went begging when the energetic Palmer teed it up for Pedro once more, with the Brazilian whiskers extensive with an audacious acrobatic effort.
Rogers opens account
Chelsea went again in entrance after 41 minutes after a mixture between their two big-money signings, with Maxence Lacroix skipping previous the Fulham defenders with ease earlier than Rogers tucked the ball house.
As soon as once more Palmer was concerned within the build-up, and Chelsea’s essential man would have been absolutely deserving of the objective which almost got here moments after when his shot whistled the incorrect facet of the publish.
Palmer stars for Blues
However inside 4 minutes of the restart, Palmer did have his deserved objective as a protracted ball ahead discovered Pedro, who waited for his strike companion to overlap him earlier than slotting the ball by means of Leno’s legs.
After a troublesome marketing campaign final season, Palmer regarded again to his good finest and was undoubtedly the star of the present on Monday evening, boding nicely for him to be the centrepiece of Alonso’s tenure.
Shortly after, Jorrell Hato was the person launched on the left, with the defender chopping inside earlier than Rogers was simply overwhelmed to the ball by a defender.
The sport was thrown proper again within the steadiness as soon as once more when one other debutant scored on debut as Garcia reacted quickest to Sanchez fumbling one other shot because the ex-Actual Madrid teenager made it 3-2.
Chelsea maintain on
Chelsea’s defensive vulnerabilities that has plagued them in earlier years was on present once more, permitting Fulham to maintain the strain on late within the recreation.
Sanchez – who endured one other troublesome evening – got here charging out his web to thwart Antonee Robinson, however the USA left-back couldn’t information his chip into the online regardless of getting there first.
Ryan Sessegnon stored Sanchez busy after looping the ball over Josh Acheampong however the substitute might solely fireplace it on the Spanish keeper.
Pedro then had time to place the ball within the web as soon as once more however the Brazilian’s end was rightly dominated out for offside.
It didn’t matter although as Chelsea held on for full-time for a victory which may have offered loads of pleasure – but additionally loads of questions for Alonso.
What’s subsequent? Fulham, Chelsea fixtures
Each golf equipment are at house to third-tier groups within the EFL Cup second spherical on Thursday. Fulham face AFC Wimbledon at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT), half-hour after Chelsea’s recreation in opposition to Luton City begins.
They then return to Premier League motion on Sunday at 14:00 BST (09:00 ET / 06:00 PT).
| Fixture | Date | UK broadcaster |
| Sunderland vs Fulham | Solar, Aug 30 | Sky Sports activities |
| Chelsea vs Brighton & Hove Albion | Solar, Aug 30 | Sky Sports activities |
Fulham staff vs Chelsea
Two of Fulham’s new signings began, with Cesar Palacios in midfield and Gonzalo Garcia in assault.
Midfielder Shea Charles, who signed for £30 million from Southampton earlier this month, was on the bench.
Fulham beginning XI: Bernd Leno, Timothy Castagne, Calvin Bassey, Jorge Cuenca, Antonee Robinson, Sander Berge, Alex Iwobi, Josh King, Oscar Bobb, Gonzalo Garcia, Ezequiel Palacios
Fulham substitutes: Benjamin Lecomte, Kenny Tete, Harrison Reed, Rodrigo Muniz, Kevin, Shea Charles, Ryan Sessegnon, Emile Smith Rowe, Luc de Fougerolles
Chelsea staff vs Fulham
Midfielder Morgan Rogers and defender Maxence Lacroix made their aggressive debuts for Chelsea.
Fellow newcomers Mike Penders, Pep Chavarria, Valentin Barco, Geovany Quenda and Danny Welbeck had been on the bench, as was Enzo Fernandez, who’s being closely linked with a transfer to Manchester Metropolis earlier than the switch window shuts on September 1.
Chelsea beginning XI: Robert Sanchez, Josh Acheampong, Maxence Lacroix, Levi Colwill, Malo Gusto, Reece James, Romeo Lavia, Jorrel Hato, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Joao Pedro
Chelsea substitutes: Mike Penders, Pep Chavarria, Valentin Barco, Enzo Fernandez, Estevao, Jamie Gittens, Pedro Neto, Geovany Quenda, Danny Welbeck
Fulham vs Chelsea stats
- Fulham started a Premier League season with a London derby for a fourth time, having misplaced the earlier three: 2-1 Arsenal in 2007/08, 2-0 at house to Crystal Palace in 2018/19 and 3-0 at house to Arsenal in 2020/21
- They’d received their opener in one in all their previous six Premier League seasons (D2 L3), beating Everton away in 2023/24
- In 2026, solely Manchester United (8) have received extra Premier League house video games than Fulham, with the Cottagers victorious in six of their earlier 9 at Craven Cottage (L3)
- This was each Arbeloa and Alonso’s first Premier League match as managers. The pair performed 46 league video games alongside each other for Liverpool from 2007 to 2009, dropping 4 of (W28 D14)
- That made this the primary time any supervisor’s first Premier League recreation had come in opposition to one other supervisor he was a teammate of as a participant within the competitors
- Chelsea had misplaced their most up-to-date assembly with Fulham (2-1 away in January within the Premier League) however hadn’t misplaced consecutive video games in opposition to them throughout all competitions since a run of three between April 1977 and October 1979
- The Blues had didn’t win their opening league recreation in every of the previous three seasons (D2 L1), final going 4 in a row with out a win between 1995/96 and 1998/99
- Alonso grew to become the twenty seventh supervisor to take cost of at the very least one Premier League recreation with Chelsea, overtaking Tottenham (26) as essentially the most by any facet (counting joint-managers as one)
- Two of Chelsea’s earlier eight managers had received their first league recreation in cost (D4 L2), with each in London derbies: Graham Potter vs Crystal Palace in October 2022 and Liam Rosenior vs Brentford in January 2026
- Danny Welbeck is in his nineteenth Premier League season, taking part in at the very least as soon as in each marketing campaign since and together with 2008/09. This would be the joint-most seasons performed in by any striker within the competitors’s historical past, equalling Jermain Defoe (19) and overtaking Peter Crouch (18)
- These managers had been the tenth and eleventh to take cost of a selected Premier League facet for the primary time this weekend, which is the outright most on matchday in a single marketing campaign (excluding 1992/93) within the competitors’s historical past (beforehand 9, in 2012/13 and 2016/17)
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