Chelsea beat Fulham 3-2 in Xabi Alonso’s winning managerial debut

Chelsea began their Premier League campaign with a 3-2 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage, marking a winning start to Xabi Alonso’s reign as manager.

Joao Pedro opened the scoring for Chelsea inside the first minute, before Josh King equalised for Fulham in the 23rd minute.

Morgan Rogers put Chelsea back ahead on his debut in the 41st minute, and Cole Palmer extended the lead early in the second half in the 49th minute.

Gonzalo Garcia pulled a goal back for Fulham in the 54th minute, but the hosts were unable to find a leveller as Chelsea held on for the win.

Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was at fault for Fulham’s first goal and also parried a shot into the path of Garcia for the second, with uncertain distribution troubling Chelsea through parts of the match.

Speaking after the match, Alonso kept his response brief and measured: “The first goal we can do better than that. But it’s a process, it’s day 1.”

The match marked Alonso’s first competitive fixture in charge of Chelsea, following his move to English football after a managerial career largely built on the continent.

Morgan Rogers’ goal on debut gave Chelsea fans an early glimpse of a new attacking option, while Cole Palmer’s finish continued his run of involvement in the team’s goals this season.

The result gives Chelsea a winning start to their league campaign, though the defensive uncertainty around Sanchez is likely to draw scrutiny as the season progresses.

Fulham, despite the loss, showed resilience with their second-half fightback, and will look to build on that response in their next fixture.

The West London derby has historically produced tightly contested matches between the two clubs, and this latest meeting added to that competitive history with five goals across the 90 minutes.

Chelsea’s front three, refreshed under Alonso’s early tactical setup, looked lively for large stretches of the match, even as questions remained over the balance between attack and defence.

Photo by Nate Loper, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0