Fulham vs Chelsea: Alonso starts new era with thrilling 3–2 win

Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer connected people arsenic Chelsea unfastened scoring wrong 31 seconds of the lucifer successful London.

Chelsea began beingness nether caller manager Xabi Alonso with a breathless 3-2 Premier League triumph astatine West London neighbours Fulham arsenic their breathtaking beforehand 3 of Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer each recovered the net.

Chelsea’s archetypal league lucifer of the play got disconnected to a imagination commencement connected Monday erstwhile Palmer – looking backmost to his champion aft struggling with an wounded past play – passed to Joao Pedro, and the Brazilian flicked the shot implicit goalkeeper Bernd Leno 31 seconds into the archetypal half.

It was the quickest extremity scored successful the opening circular of fixtures connected Sunday successful the Premier League’s 34-year history.

Fulham equalised erstwhile Josh King bushed goalkeeper Robert Sanchez astatine his adjacent station successful the 24th minute, giving the location fans thing to cheer against their fiercest rivals.

But 2 of Chelsea’s caller signings past combined successful the 41st arsenic cardinal defender Maxence Lacroix jinked down the close earlier cutting the shot backmost to the club’s 117 cardinal pounds ($159.4m) grounds signing Rogers, who made nary mistake.

Four minutes into the 2nd half, Joao Pedro held up the shot successful onslaught and fed Palmer, who angled a changeable done Leno’s legs, underlining the midfielder’s instrumentality to signifier aft missing retired connected a spot with England astatine the World Cup.

“It was a hard play with injuries and whatnot, but done the summertime and since I’ve been backmost I’ve worked other hard,” Palmer told Sky Sports.

“Obviously, with the injuries I’ve had to effort and forestall them and enactment other hard time in, time out. I cognize the endowment I’ve got, truthful I tin enactment successful performances similar that.”

Cole Palmer, left, provided an assistance and scored a extremity for Chelsea successful their archetypal league crippled of the play [AFP]

Fulham’s Gonzalo Garcia, connected his league debut aft signing from Real Madrid, gave the hosts immoderate anticipation by heading successful aft Sanchez could lone parry a Timothy Castagne changeable successful the 54th.

Fulham past had a large accidental to level again done Antonee Robinson successful the 78th minute, but his spot implicit a stranded Sanchez went wide, and Chelsea held retired to assertion the points.

Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez — a linchpin of World Cup runners-up Argentina, who has been linked with a determination to Manchester City — was greeted with large boos from the location fans erstwhile helium came connected arsenic a substitute midway done the 2nd half.

Alonso’s triumph successful his archetypal competitory lucifer since taking implicit astatine Stamford Bridge came astatine the disbursal of his erstwhile Liverpool and Spain teammate Alvaro Arbeloa — likewise making his Premier League debut arsenic a manager — who besides concisely succeeded Alonso arsenic Real Madrid manager past season.

Alonso volition anticipation midfielder Moises Caicedo and caller fullback Marco Palestra, who are injured, volition supply much solidity, portion Sanchez could look an aboriginal situation from Mike Penders, who has returned to Chelsea from sister nine Racing Strasbourg.

Xabi Alonso made a winning commencement to his reign arsenic Chelsea manager [Reuters]