Chelsea vs Fulham Review
Chelsea maintained their unbeaten run at the start of the Premier League season by defeating Fulham 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, marking only their second league loss in the last 12 matches. The transfer window has been active for Chelsea this week, Alejandro Garnacho, expected to join the team soon, watched from the stands as his prospective club faced challenges against a well-organized Fulham side in the first half. Early chances came for João Pedro and Liam Delap, but Delap’s hamstring injury around the 15-minute mark disrupted the home team, allowing Fulham to create several difficulties.
Actually, Fulham believed they had taken the lead halfway through the half when 18-year-old Josh King completed a counter-attack for what would have been his first Premier League goal. However, much to the frustration of Marco Silva, who was furious in his protests, the goal was disallowed because Rodrigo Muniz was judged to have fouled Trevoh Chalobah during the buildup. As the first half went on, Chelsea improved somewhat, and only a reflex save by Bernd Leno prevented Tyrique George from scoring. Yet, from the resulting corner, Pedro headed in Enzo Fernández’s cross to give the Blues a possibly undeserved halftime lead.
Shortly after the second half began, VAR again worked against Silva as Chelsea extended their lead. Chalobah’s cross struck the raised arm of Ryan Sessegnon, and after a review at the pitchside monitor, referee Rob Jones awarded a penalty. From 12 yards out, Fernández converted confidently, giving Enzo Maresca’s team some breathing room. That second goal deflated Fulham, and if Pedro hadn’t hesitated when one-on-one with Leno, the home side’s winning margin might have been even larger.
In the end, the Blues managed only two goals, but that was sufficient to move them temporarily to the top of the standings. Meanwhile, Fulham, especially Silva, will be disappointed with how they lost to their local rivals. This result means they are still searching for their first victory of the season, although it also marks their first defeat in all competitions.
