Cole Palmer Shines as Chelsea Defeats Fulham in Thrilling Match

Cole Palmer walked back into the spotlight and lit up Craven Cottage. Xabi Alonso’s first Premier League game as Chelsea head coach was wild, flawed and utterly gripping – and his No 10 owned it.

In a chaotic 3-2 win over Fulham on Monday Night Football, Palmer, Joao Pedro and debutant Morgan Rogers looked like a front three built to terrify the division. All three scored. All three shredded a Fulham defence that never got close to working them out.

Palmer, finally free of the injury issues that stalked him last season and rested after missing England’s World Cup campaign, delivered the kind of performance Chelsea had been waiting months to see again. One goal. One assist. Constant menace.

Asked by Sky Sports how ready he was for the new season, his answer was as sharp as his finishing. “Did you not watch the game?”

Thirty-one seconds to set the tone

Chelsea needed barely half a minute to show Alonso’s blueprint. Maxence Lacroix rose in his own half, sent a header arrowing through Fulham’s midfield line, and suddenly blue shirts were running at a panicked back four.

Palmer picked up possession, slipped in Joao Pedro, and the Brazilian did the rest. Thirty-one seconds gone. 1-0. The Alonso era had its first goal and Fulham were already chasing shadows.

For Joao Pedro, left out of Brazil’s World Cup squad, it looked like a personal reset. He played like a man with a point to prove, constantly dragging defenders into areas they didn’t want to go. The front three never eased off.

Yet Chelsea’s old frailties refused to disappear.

Sanchez turns a stroll into a scrap

With Moises Caicedo missing, Chelsea might still have cruised through the night if not for their goalkeeper. Robert Sanchez produced the kind of performance that keeps debate about his No 1 status very much alive.

Midway through the first half, Fulham were level. Josh King picked up the ball, drove at goal and let fly. It was powerful, yes, but straight enough. Sanchez let it skid through him at his near post. 1-1, the home crowd roaring, and a game that should have been under control was anything but.

Fulham, under Alvaro Arbeloa for the first time in the Premier League, refused to sit back. They pressed high, committed bodies forward and went toe-to-toe with their west London neighbours. They created chances. They also left the back door wide open.

The pressure swung again just before the interval. Lacroix, already influential for the opener, strode forward and picked out a gorgeous cross to the far post. Rogers, timing his run perfectly, arrived unmarked and buried the finish on his debut. Record signing, first game, first goal. Chelsea back in front, 2-1, and Fulham punished for switching off.

Ruthless front three, fragile foundations

Any hope Fulham had of resetting at half-time vanished within four minutes of the restart.

Calvin Bassey stepped up when he didn’t need to, misjudged the flight of a flick-on, and Rogers stole in again. Joao Pedro latched onto the loose ball, squared unselfishly, and Palmer arrived to sweep in Chelsea’s third.

It was the move of the night: direct, incisive, and devastating. Fulham’s defensive line was carved apart with embarrassing ease. Chelsea’s attack looked like it could score every time it surged forward.

Still, they could not kill the game.

Five minutes later, Sanchez dragged Fulham back into it again. Timothy Castagne’s effort should have been routine. Instead, the goalkeeper spilled it straight into the path of Goncalo Garcia. On debut, the forward could hardly believe his luck as he tapped in for 3-2.

From there, the contest turned frantic. Fulham sensed vulnerability. Chelsea, for all their attacking swagger, looked one mistake away from throwing it away.

Arbeloa’s front-foot promise – and a huge miss

Arbeloa has made his intentions clear. Fulham will attack. They will take risks. On this evidence, they will score plenty – and concede plenty too.

“I’m really happy and proud of my players, what I saw from them,” he told Sky Sports. “This is the way I want to play. And we’re going to play this way no matter who is in front of us.

“If we continue to play in that way, we’re going to win a lot of games.”

They might have snatched something from this one. With Chelsea wobbling, Sanchez wandering and the away end holding its breath, Antonee Robinson was presented with a huge late chance. The goalkeeper was stranded, the goal inviting. Robinson tried to lift the ball over him – and horribly miscued, sending his chip well wide.

Craven Cottage groaned. Chelsea survived.

Alonso backs Sanchez, Palmer limps off

Alonso, on the touchline for his first taste of English club management, cut a largely calm figure even as his goalkeeper faltered.

“It’s not about talking about individuals, their situations,” he said afterwards. “It’s about understanding what it takes.

“For sure, the first goal we can do better than that. But it’s a process. It’s day one. And normally it’s easier to learn with three points.”

He will, though, have left with one nagging concern that had nothing to do with Sanchez. With just under 10 minutes to go, Palmer pulled up mid-dribble and signalled to the bench that he needed to come off. He was replaced by Estevao, his night over after a statement performance.

There was noise from the stands too when Enzo Fernandez entered the fray. The World Cup winner was greeted by loud jeers from the home crowd as he replaced Romeo Lavia on 65 minutes, a direct response to his role in Argentina’s heated World Cup clash with England.

By the final whistle, none of that drowned out the main story. Chelsea’s new manager walked away with three points, a front three that looks ready-made for his aggressive style, and a clear to-do list at the back.

Fulham left with nothing but encouragement and regret. They played on the front foot, created chances, and almost dragged a point from a derby they could easily have lost by more.

Chelsea, though, have been crying out for a night where their attack takes centre stage and stays there. Palmer, Joao Pedro and Rogers delivered that – and if Alonso can fix what’s behind them, how far can this team go?