Челси шинэ дасгалжуулагчийнхаа дор Фулхэмийг 3-2 харьцаатай буулган авч, улирлын эхний хожлоо байгууллаа.
Лондоны дербид Челсигийн шинэхэн тоглогчид болох Морган Рожерс, Максенс Лакруа нар гарааны бүрэлдэхүүнд багтаж, тун үр дүнтэй тоглолт үзүүлсэн юм. Лакруагийн дамжуулалтаар Жоао Педро тооны харьцааг нээсэн бол Морган Рожерс Челсигийн төлөөх анхны гоолоо оруулж, Коул Палмерын хамтаар довтолгооны шугамд өндөр хоршилтой тоглолоо. Хэдийгээр довтолгоонд амжилттай байсан ч хамгаалалт болон хаалгач Роберт Санчесийн алдаанууд Челсигийн хувьд томоохон асуудал хэвээр байгааг уг тоглолт харууллаа.
Коул Палмерын хувьд тоглолтын турш гайхалтай ур чадварыг гаргаж, нэг гоол оруулж, оновчтой дамжуулалтуудаар багаа идэвхжүүлсэн ч тоглолтын төгсгөлд бэртэл авч болзошгүй нөхцөл байдал үүссэн нь анхаарал татаж байна. Харин сэлгээгээр талбайд гарсан Энцо Фернандес эсрэг багийн хөгжөөн дэмжигчдийн зүгээс эсэргүүцэлтэй тулгарсан бөгөөд тоглолтын турш тогтвортой байдлыг хадгалахыг хичээлээ.
Челсигийн хувьд энэхүү ялалт нь шинэ улирлын эхлэлд чухал түлхэц болсон хэдий ч хамгаалалтын алдаанууд болон хаалгачийн байр суурин дээрх тогтворгүй байдал нь дасгалжуулагч Хаби Алонсогийн хувьд шийдвэрлэх шаардлагатай асуудал болон үлдэж байна. Дараагийн тоглолтуудад тус баг наймдугаар сарын 27-нд Карабао цомын хүрээнд Лутон Таун-тай талбай дээрээ учраа тааран тоглоно.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Chelsea’s Xabi Alonso era has started with a bang.
A riotous West London derby against Fulham at Craven Cottage delivered five goals, a hatful of chances, some thrilling attacking football and some very porous defending (and goalkeeping), before the visitors ultimately prevailed 3-2.
Alonso will have been delighted by a debut goal for Morgan Rogers and a return to form for Cole Palmer, but alarmed by how easily Fulham were able to slice through his side at times.
We discuss the major talking points.
How impressive were Chelsea’s new signings?
Only two of Chelsea’s nine first-team summer signings started at Craven Cottage, but they happened to be the most expensive acquisitions and the two “ready-made starters” the club had pledged to target ahead of Alonso’s debut season as manager.
Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix arrived at Stamford Bridge as proven Premier League performers, signed for chunky premiums that reflected their value to contribute immediately. Alonso and the Chelsea hierarchy will be delighted to see them both hit the ground running against Fulham.
Lacroix, bought from Crystal Palace to bring leadership and physicality to Chelsea’s back line, won two booming headers in the first three minutes, one of which directly led to Joao Pedro’s opening goal. In the middle of Alonso’s back three he used the ball sensibly, defended calmly in space and always made his voice heard.
Chelsea are unlikely to expect him to pop up in the opposition box in open play too often, but he did brilliantly to twist Jorge Cuenca inside out and draw Bernd Leno from his goal before cutting the ball back to gift-wrap a debut tap-in to Rogers.
Which brings us to Chelsea’s marquee signing of the summer, the £117million man.
Morgan Rogers with the celebration shared by his new teammate Cole Palmer (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Considering his limited involvement in preseason, Rogers dovetailed brilliantly with Palmer and Joao Pedro in a fierce but smart high press, nipping in to win the ball back high up the pitch on numerous occasions. His strength and ability to drive the ball added a different dimension to the front three, and he contributed the little things as well as rising in the big moments.
Chelsea’s third goal underlined his willingness to do the less glamorous work, dropping deeper to try to flick Sanchez’s long kick on to Joao Pedro, though it was unclear even after a replay whether or not he made contact. It was much clearer throughout the game that his chemistry with Palmer goes well beyond a close friendship and translates to the pitch.
This was game one, but the early evidence is that Rogers and Lacroix have both immediately improved Chelsea.
Liam Twomey
How big a concern is Sanchez?
It’s usually clear very quickly whether or not Robert Sanchez is locked in as Chelsea goalkeeper. His first touch in this game was a long kick under minimal pressure that floated straight out of play.
On his bad days Sanchez spreads uncertainty like a bad smell through Chelsea’s defence. In the 14th minute it surfaced again, as he dallied too long on a Josh Acheampong backpass and allowed the ball to run out for a corner kick.
Normally shot-stopping is one of the better aspects of Sanchez’s game, but even here he is prone to some mystifying errors. Josh King’s shot in the 20th minute was well struck, but not hard or accurate enough to merit squirming through his palms into the net.
Chelsea played well enough in attack to win this game relatively comfortably, and they were on course to do so until Sanchez parried Timothy Castagne’s shot straight to Gonzalo Garcia.
Sanchez is also capable of making very impressive saves, and for stretches of Enzo Maresca’s tenure he was one of Chelsea’s better performers. But his lapses in concentration and failures of execution make him too inconsistent to be the goalkeeper for a team with these aspirations.
This is the fourth season of the Sanchez experience at Chelsea. He has lost his spot at some point in every one, and Mike Penders’ chance should come sooner rather than later.
Liam Twomey
Has Palmer got his mojo back?
There are few things that say you’re determined to have a comeback season quite like making your second touch of the campaign a sublimely deft assist.
It was classic Cole Palmer, scanning to take in the picture ahead of him as the ball approached from Lacroix. His snapshot of Joao Pedro’s perfectly timed run into a large gap in the Fulham defence meant there was no need for hesitation, no wasted touches, just a perfectly weighted and directed flick to send the Brazilian running through on goal.
That was the first, but far from the only, sign that Palmer was in something close to his best groove. A few minutes later he extended his left leg nonchalantly behind him and flicked a loose ball over his own head into the path of Rogers. He was also a menace without the ball again, closing down with pace and purpose, screening off passing angles, generating ball recoveries.
Another devastating tool in Palmer’s belt, the sharp shift of the hips as he receives a pass in space on the half-turn, created the window to slide through Lacroix to lay on Chelsea’s second goal. Shortly after half-time he showcased his supreme balance and control in a different context, jinking and dropping his shoulder to beat two Fulham defenders on a solo run.
When he is feeling it, Palmer does everything with a style that makes him a natural showman, so it was fitting that his first goal of the season was a nutmeg, running on to a perfectly delayed pass from Joao Pedro and shooting a quick glance to see if a cross was on before passing the ball between Leno’s legs.
All of which made it even more worrying to see Palmer pull up and clutch his calf after stretching to control a Joao Pedro layoff. After an injury-plagued 2025-26 season he deserves better luck, and having him fit and playing like this makes the Premier League, not just Chelsea, better.
Liam Twomey
How was Fernandez’s reception?
Following his introduction on 65 minutes, as a midfield replacement for Romeo Lavia, every touch that Enzo Fernandez had was greeted with a chorus of boos by the home fans at Craven Cottage.
With this being the opening Premier League matchday, it’s the first time the Argentina international has played a competitive game in-front of an English crowd since his nation knocked England out in the World Cup semi-final earlier this summer, and celebrated in controversial fashion with a flag referencing the Falkland Islands. A hot reception was probably inevitable.
Fernandez did little to reassert control for Chelsea as they held onto a one-goal lead over their west London rivals to give new head coach Xabi Alonso a first Premier League win. Fernandez completed 17 of 19 passes, mostly playing the ball sideways and dropping into deeper positions to receive away from pressure.
For Fernandez to not start, particularly after first-choice midfielder Moises Caicedo was ruled out through injury, added to the doubt already cast over his future. The Athletic reported at the end of last week that Chelsea expect Fernandez to stay. They had set a deadline of last Friday for any club to meet their £120m valuation of the 25-year-old midfielder, with Manchester City among the interested sides, though no bids materialised.
Liam Tharme
What next for Fulham?
Thursday, August 27: AFC Wimbledon (home), Carabao Cup, 8pm UK, 3pm ET
What next for Chelsea?
Thursday, August 27: Luton Town (home), Carabao Cup, 7.30pm UK, 2.30pm ET
