· 2 min readIn this Fulham vs Chelsea match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
Fulham and Chelsea both arrive with new managers, both linked to Real Madrid, but in very different situations. Xabi Alonso has a squad full of players and new signings, while Arbeloa starts at Fulham with plenty of people still looking at him after his time at Madrid. And Chelsea came out flying.
It didn’t even take a minute. After just 30 seconds, Jorge Cuenca tried to play the ball forward, missed it, Cole Palmer picked it up and found João Pedro making the run. The Brazilian didn’t miss. 0-1, Chelsea ahead before Fulham had even had time to understand what had happened.
Fulham reacted and started seeing more of the ball, but Chelsea continued to look far more dangerous. Arbeloa’s team defended in a 4-4-2, with Joshua King and Gonzalo García up front, and managed to equalize in the 23rd minute. King combined with Castagne, appeared behind Morgan Rogers, who didn’t track him, and fired. Robert Sánchez had to save it and didn’t. A clear mistake from the goalkeeper. 1-1.
Chelsea, however, were creating plenty. Palmer had a good chance, João Pedro almost scored again and Lavia forced Leno into a good save. Fulham had 60% possession at half-time, but Chelsea had 13 shots to seven and 1.57 xG compared to just 0.44. It was the difference between having the ball and knowing what to do with it.
In the 41st minute, Morgan Rogers scored on his official Chelsea debut. Palmer found Lacroix, who appeared inside the box, produced a nice dribble towards the byline and delivered a low cross for Rogers, arriving from deep, to finish completely unmarked. 1-2.
In the second half, Palmer continued to be the standout player. In the 49th minute, João Pedro carried the counterattack, waited for the right moment and played it to Palmer, who had made the overlapping run and fired through Leno’s legs. 1-3. A great move and another combination between the two.
But Fulham didn’t give up. In the 54th minute, Castagne controlled a long ball and shot; Sánchez parried it straight back into danger and Gonzalo García, also making his official debut, appeared to head it in however he could. 2-3 and suddenly the game was completely open again.
Fulham continued to have more possession and kept pushing Chelsea back. King came close to equalizing, Robinson also tried a brilliant chip, and meanwhile Palmer asked to come off with a problem in his leg. Chelsea started defending in a 5-4-1 and simply tried to control the final minutes. Fulham brought on another forward and went looking for the equalizer, but the final action was missing.
João Pedro did score in the 90th minute, but it was ruled out for offside against Quenda.
Post-match
Chelsea held on and secured a win that, given the number of chances they created, could have been much more comfortable. Fulham had the ball, had the desire and never stopped believing, but defensively they gave away too much space.
