Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea tenure began with a bang as the Blues got goals from Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, and Joao Pedro in an entertaining 3-2 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Pedro scored just after a half-minute of play as Chelsea looked great in the early stages but Joshua King had it 1-1 in the 23rd minute as questions will again be raised over the play of Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
MORE — Xabi Alonso post-match reaction
Fortunately for Sanchez, the Blues scored just before and after halftime as Rogers made it 2-1 and Palmer 3-1. Palmer and Pedro both recorded assists, as did new center back Maxence Lacroix.
Fulham brought the game back within one when Garcia nodded home from a Sanchez rebound, but Chelsea held on to make sure Alonso got three points in Week 1 instead of the boss’ longtime good friend Alvaro Arbeloa, who was making his Fulham debut.
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez was subbed into the game in the second half and booed upon entry and his first touches amid talk that Manchester City continues to pursue the Argentine.
Chelsea’s terrific performance has one big asterisk: Goalkeeper
The front three all scored, Maxence Lacroix was brilliant on his first day in the middle of a back three, and Chelsea got a win despite neither Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo starting in the midfield. Even worries about Fernandez skipping town can be overlooked, but Week 1 of this Premier League season also happened to include a pretty soft goal as Robert Sanchez failed to get low fast enough to stop Josh King’s near-post shot to make it 1-1. Sanchez isn’t a bad goalkeeper but this is the start of his fourth season as the Blues’ No. 1 and questions remain about how far he can take this club. Backup goalkeepers Mike Penders, Teddy Sharman-Lowe, and Gabriel Slonina have a total of zero senior appearances for the Blues. Unfortunately, even the addition of an experienced backup goalkeeper is going to look like a rival for Sanchez after this blip. Can the Blues afford to not address the position?
Fulham vs Chelsea final score: 2-3
Joao Pedro 1', Joshua King 23', Morgan Rogers 41', Cole Palmer 49', Gonzalo Garcia 54'
Chelsea host Luton Town in a League Cup match on Thursday, then welcome Brighton to Stamford Bridge at 9am ET Sunday.
Fulham host AFC Wimbledon on Thursday for a League Cup tie and head to Sunderland in the Premier League on Sunday.
Xabi Alonso’s been speaking at Craven Cottage, with big praise for Cole Palmer and “all three of our strikers.”
“I’ve really enjoyed his performances,” Alonso said. “He has played with responsibility, maturity, and freedom. It’s important that we get the best from Cole. If we want to have a good team we need a great Cole.”
Here are all of Alonso’s thoughts, as he also was asked about Enzo Fernandez’s future and managing against his good friend Alvaro Arbeloa.
Fulham boss Alvaro Arbeloa appreciates his team’s fight against Chelsea but is upset with both their mistakes and when those mistakes arrived at Craven Cottage
“We concede goals in the first minute, the end of the first half, and the beginning of the second half — there are not worse times to concede goals,” Arbeloa said. “But I am proud of my players’ response and we deserved a little bit more.”
“If you have to lose against a team like Chelsea, you need to [make them] do a little bit more — easy goals for them. Mistakes we connect make. We need to improve and be more ready in the first minute for sure.”
Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers have been friends for a long time, and they were asked about playing together for club.
“When you grow up you want to do anything with one of your best friends, especially playing football at the highest level,” Palmer said. “It’s surreal. Feels nice.”
Rogers concurred.
“It was real nice,” he said. “Something we’ve talked about for a while. We’ve done it internationally but to do it day-by-day for club is nice. Just the start.”
Top entertainment here, as Fulham pushed and pushed to get back in this game.
Chelsea’s class was too much in the middle portion of this game, and contributions from Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, and Morgan Rogers are just what Alonso ordered to get good vibes going early.
Chelsea hold their one-goal advantage and have inserted Pedro Neto, Estevao Willian, and Geovany Quenda into the game for Palmer, Rogers, and Malo Gusto.
Fulham hope Ryan Sessegnon, Kevin, and now Rodrigo Muniz can help them find an equalizer.
There are fresh reports that Enzo Maresca still considers Enzo Fernandez his top target.
With Fernandez booed by his own fans — albeit away from home — and a transfer profit on the cards, there are dots to connect here.
But would Chelsea sanction a move that would give its former manager and current rival an improvement exactly where they need it? Read more here.
Southampton transfer Shea Charles takes the place of ex-Man City man Oscar Bobb.
Boos great Enzo Fernandez as he enters the game for Romeo Lavia in the 65th minute.
Also exiting the game is Hato for Pep Chavarria.
3-2 Chelsea in the 65th minute.
One of the Real Madrid imports gets Fulham back within one.
The Cottagers get into the 18 and a low left-footed shot is slapped up into the air by a diving Sanchez.
Gonzalo Garcia has the better of his mark and nods the ball off the turf and just over the line.
Palmer gets his goal!
Joao Pedro stays onside at the midfield stripe and gets into the box, where he looks a pass to overlapping Palmer for a left-footed shot through Leno’s legs.
No goal at the end of this rainbow, but Cole Palmer has just danced through four or five Fulham challenges.
He gets Antonee Robinson turned inside out and what looked half-Salah, half-Hazard ends with a shot wide of the far post.
Chelsea are deservedly ahead at the break, mostly because Fulham have done little in attack outside of Josh King’s forays into the right.
And, as noted, his goal probably should’ve been saved by Sanchez. It would’ve been a decent save, but it had to happen.
Fulham’s Real imports at left wing and center forward have found their Premier League debuts quite quiet.
Shots are 13-7 for Chelsea. who have a 1.57-0.44 xG advantage despite just 40% of the ball.
The Blues have put five shots on target. Promising.
It starts with Maxence Lacroix, who bursts inside to meet Cole Palmer off the latter’s neat turn in the midfield.
Lacroix gets to the end line and cuts the ball into a glorious space. Joao Pedro cannot reach it with a lunge, giving Rogers all day to lash into the goal.
Can you start to glare? Or does it have to be FULL GLARE?
Anyway, James and Lavia are okay but they’re obviously not Caicedo and/or Fernandez. That’s dragging Palmer and Rogers a bit deeper than you’d like.
King is having joy on the right side and getting into the 18.
Pedro snaps a shot wide of the near post in Fulham’s end.
Sanchez then has to surge out of his six to punch a ball out of the Chelsea 18.
Busy, busy, busy. 1-1.
Robert Sanchez has to save this. Woof.
Joshua King gets into the right side of the box and hits a bounding ball toward goal.
Sanchez dives and just doesn’t get the ball.
Fulham have had some time on the ball and through 20 minutes are finding most of their players just not necessarily in good areas.
Chelsea are out-attempting Fulham 6-2.
Oscar Bobb is set to burst down the right side and Maxence Lacroix drops him.
It’s way too far from goal for a red but it’s certainly a yellow.
Thirty-one seconds in!
A Fulham long ball is headed back toward the Cottagers’ 18 and Cole Palmer flicks it onto the path of Joao Pedro.
The Brazilian dinks it past Bernd Leno.
Chelsea gets us started after a minute’s applause for Kevin Keegan, the English football legend who led Fulham to promotion late last century.
What do their absences mean?
Fernandez has often been linked with Manchester City and Real Madrid before that; Caicedo’s absence is said to be related a minor training injury.
Lavia and Reece James will be an athletic and interesting pair for this game, but looking at a Chelsea team without Caicedo and Fernandez really does frame the Blues’ depth. They could handle the loss of one but not both. Does that mean they shouldn’t part with either?
The price tag on Fernandez is so high, especially with what Man City just spent for Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Can’t say there are many surprises here.
Bernd Leno is in goal with Timothy Castagne, Calvin Bassey, Jorge Cuenca, and Antonee Robinson along the back four.
Sander Berge and Alex Iwobi will hold the midfield so Joshua King, Oscar Bobb, Cesar Palacios, and Gonzalo Garcia can attack the Blues.
The bench is thick with options: Shea Charles, Kevin, Emile Smith Rowe, Ryan Sessegnon, Harrison Reed, Kenny Tete, and Canada’s Luc De Fougerolles among them. The second-choice goalkeeper is Benjamin Lecomte.
Robert Sanchez starts between the posts with Josh Acheampong, Maxence Lacroix, and Levi Colwill in a back three.
Malo Gusto and Jorell Hato are the wide men and Reece James joins Romeo Lavia as central midfielders.
The front three are Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, and Joao Pedro.
The bench notably sees Enzo Fernandez and Pedro Neto waiting to enter the fold, and perhaps even speaks to their future.
Fulham won the Championship in 2021-22 and have been remarkably consistent in the Premier League, finishing 10th, 13th, 11th, and 11th with seasons of 52, 47, 54, and 52 points.
They’ve scored around the same amount of goals and conceded a similar number, too, though last season’s 47 goals (their fewest) and 51 goals conceded (their best) says this could go either way.
Will Arbeloa opt for electricity and play Kevin, Oscar Bobb, and Goncalo Garcia together? How will Rodrigo Muniz and Joshua King fit in? Shea Charles?
We’ll learn a bit about Arbeloa by how he looks to a test like Chelsea?
As we mentioned, Xabi Alonso is expected to line Chelsea up in a 3-4-2-1 formation.
Joao Pedro, new signing Morgan Rogers and talisman Cole Palmer will very likely start as the front three and on paper they should link-up very well.
Elsewhere, Moises Caicedo should start in midfield with Enzo Fernandez. Even though the latter continues to be linked with a move away.
In defense new signing Maxence Lacroix and fit-again Levi Colwill will start at center back, while it seems like captain Reece James will be fit enough to play and could feature as a right-sided center back.
Wing-back is intriguing as Pedro Neto is likely to get the nod there in a slightly more defensive role for him this season.
Here’s a look at the Chelsea predicted lineup vs Fulham.
Chelsea predicted lineup
Sanchez; James, Lacroix, Colwill; Neto, Caicedo, Fernandez, Palestra; Palmer, Rogers; Joao Pedro
Here’s all of the tune-in info you need as Fulham and Chelsea meet at Craven Cottage.
This will be a lot of fun as two new managers try and make their mark straight away.
How to watch Fulham vs Chelsea live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3pm ET Monday (August 24)
Venue: Craven Cottage — West London
TV Channel: USA
Stream link: Watch on USA
The Xabi Alonso era is about to begin at Chelsea and all signs point to it being a success.
Alonso, 44, is regarded as an incredible communicator, team-builder and tactician and did sterling work at Bayer Leverkusen before his ill-fated eight months in charge of Real Madrid.
The legendary Spanish midfielder will get total respect from the Chelsea players and his decisions to bring in Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck to add experience and nous to a very young squad seems like a very savvy idea.
Alonso also has the benefit of no European action this season, so he will get to work with this talented group on the training ground for long periods each week.
Chelsea will play in a 3-4-2-1 formation and that means the link-up play between the trio of Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro up top will be so important.
There are still concerns over Chelsea’s defensive solidity but Alonso will demand attacking football, pressing in the right areas and it will be exciting to watch.
With so many of their closest rivals having to deal with a huge amount of games this season, it feels like Chelsea could push their way into the title race.
But the main priority for Alonso is getting the Blues back into the Champions League.
It’s safe to say Fulham’s fans aren’t full of huge optimism for this season.
Marco Silva moved on after a very successful five-year spell in charge but Fulham drifted to the finish line last season as another season which started with hopes of a European push ended in disappointment.
Add in losing fan favorites Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson on free transfers and the vibes aren’t too positive.
New manager Alvaro Arbeloa has a tough start too with Chelsea, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Man United in his first five games in charge before the international break.
It’s conceivable that Fulham may not win any of those games. And then the pressure will already be on him.
Arbeloa has gone back to his former club Real Madrid to sign two young talents in Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios to replace Jimenez and Wilson, but it’s a big ask for them to hit the ground running right away.
But that is what Fulham have to do and they have kept the majority of their midfield and defense together which has performed above expectations in recent years.
The expectation for Arbeloa is clear: keep Fulham safely in midtable and away from the relegation scrap.
