If football is won in both boxes, it seems as though Chelsea have one far better covered than the other. Xabi Alonso began his Stamford Bridge reign with an entertaining 3-2 Premier League win at West London rivals Fulham on Monday – and their new-look front three stole the show. Morgan Rogers, making his debut after his club record £117m summer move from Aston Villa, combined with Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro to produce a devastating attacking display. All three scored, with Palmer in particular looking back to his best after a difficult year hampered by injuries, highlighting his omission from England’s World Cup squad. At the other end, though, questions remain over goalkeeper Robert Sanchez after two errors contributed to Fulham’s goals from Josh King and Gonzalo Garcia. Alonso said his front three needed to ‘lead the rest’ so that the ‘other ones will follow’. But Sanchez has some catching up to do – and when asked about his mistakes, Alonso could only stress the collective responsibility of the team. ‘We need to accept and learn from them [the mistakes],” said the Spaniard. “This is going to be a process.” “All the lines, from the strikers, the midfielders, the defence, the goalkeepers, we want to do better in everything.” After the match, ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher – a former team-mate of Alonso – said on Sky Sports that Palmer, Rogers, and Joao Pedro are ‘as good as anything in the Premier League right now’. He also said they would ‘never win the league with Sanchez in goal’. Will that come to pass?
‘Sensational’ Palmer ‘hungry’ again
It took Joao Pedro just 31 seconds to open the scoring, latching on to a pass from Palmer and lifting his shot over Fulham’s goalkeeper Bernd Leno for Chelsea’s fastest goal since October 2016. After King had equalised, Rogers then marked his debut with a goal before half-time by tapping in from close range. But it was Palmer – scorer of Chelsea’s third – who stood out most. He has endured a frustrating 18 months since a niggling groin problem disrupted his sensational start to life at Stamford Bridge, highlighted by the fact he matched last season’s Premier League assist tally by setting up Joao Pedro. His trickery and creativity was on display throughout against Fulham, along with an impressive work-rate. This was more like the Palmer we saw during his first season at Stamford Bridge – and like the one who tore Paris St-Germain apart during last year’s Club World Cup final.
“Over the summer I rested, I recharged and, yeah, I’m ready, and I’m hungry,” Palmer, who is now just two goals away from 50 in the Premier League, told Sky Sports.
He certainly looks refreshed. During Chelsea’s pre-season tour of Australia, he spoke of having a point to prove and admitted a lengthy summer break felt unusual after featuring in major tournaments in each of the previous three years.
“Cole Palmer was sensational,” said former Manchester United defender Gary Neville on Sky Sports. “Him and Morgan Rogers were electric with Joao Pedro – the front three were brilliant.”
“That tonight was the old Cole Palmer. It was unbelievable to watch. One of the best things I’ve seen this weekend.”
How two best mates and Joao Pedro linked up
While Palmer and Joao Pedro have generally carried Chelsea’s biggest attacking threat in recent times, they have now been joined by the impressive Rogers too. His arrival reunites him with Palmer, an ex-Manchester City team-mate and someone he described after the win at Craven Cottage as his ‘best friend in football’. ‘He had a difficult season with injuries and stuff last year – and you could see it in his eyes in pre-season and training that he’s ready this year and ready to prove people wrong,’ added Rogers when asked about Palmer’s display.
“You saw that with that performance. He was the best player on the pitch by a mile, and that’s what he does. It’s good to have him on our side.”
Indeed, it was also encouraging how Rogers, whose pre-season was shortened by his involvement in England’s run to third place at the World Cup, looked so fit and powerful. Rogers is the first Chelsea player to score on his Premier League debut since Christopher Nkunku in 2023 – and the first to create five chances in his first league appearance since records began in 2003-04.
It was also the first time Chelsea supporters sang the new Rogers chant in the away end.
Like Palmer, Joao Pedro missed out on the World Cup – as a high-profile omission from Brazil’s squad – but returned in pre-season with eight goals in seven games.
It was no surprise to see him on the scoresheet so early in the Premier League campaign, having inherited the number nine shirt from Liam Delap, who was left out of the squad on Monday, following the contract extension the Brazilian signed this weekend.
“Great combination, great quality,” Alonso told BBC Match of the Day when asked about his front three.
“We know if we reach them [Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer] in good positions, they have this talent to create special things and I am very happy the three forwards have scored.
“We need to put them in the best situations. I am happy for the three of them. They played for the team.”
“They have strengthened in every position of the pitch, but you cannot take a chance on goalkeepers,” said Neville.
“I’ve said before it’s the most difficult position on the pitch, it’s the one that carries the most scrutiny and if you have got a goalkeeper who’s making mistakes and is anxious, it will undermine everything you’re trying to do.”
While Alonso defended his goalkeeper after the game, in his pre-match news conference on Thursday, he said: “The pitch is the boss of everything. I don’t decide. The players need to show me.”
That message applied to his goalkeepers – Sanchez and number two Mike Penders, 21, who is waiting to make his debut after returning from a successful loan spell at Strasbourg.”
With the transfer window still open, many Chelsea fans will be asking whether the club need a new first-choice goalkeeper.”
As Carragher said: “They have to sort the goalkeeping issue out because it’s going to come back and haunt them again this season as it did tonight.”
He did make a number of other saves, but he also conceded a corner after failing to clear the ball before it ran out of play and was later unconvincing when coming off his line to deal with a long ball, with Antonee Robinson missing the target to let him off the hook.”
While Alonso defended his goalkeeper after the game, in his pre-match news conference on Thursday, he said: “The pitch is the boss of everything. I don’t decide. The players need to show me.”
That message applied to his goalkeepers – Sanchez and number two Mike Penders, 21, who is waiting to make his debut after returning from a successful loan spell at Strasbourg.”
With the transfer window still open, many Chelsea fans will be asking whether the club need a new first-choice goalkeeper.”
As Carragher said: “They have to sort the goalkeeping issue out because it’s going to come back and haunt them again this season as it did tonight.”
The game was a tense affair, with Fulham struggling to break down Chelsea’s relentless pressure. Chelsea’s defence looked solid, but they were vulnerable to Fulham’s relentless attacks, particularly in the second half. The team’s performance was hampered by several errors, particularly in the midfield, which created space for Fulham to exploit. Chelsea’s attack was largely ineffective, struggling to create clear-cut chances. The team’s overall performance was a testament to the quality of their midfield, who were largely responsible for controlling the game. The team’s defence, while solid, could have been more organized, particularly in the final third. Chelsea’s midfielders, in particular, need to improve their pressing and tackling, which would have helped to limit Fulham’s opportunities to score. The team’s overall performance was a testament to the quality of their midfield, who were largely responsible for controlling the game. The team’s defence, while solid, could have been more organized, particularly in the final third. Chelsea’s attack, while initially promising, struggled to create clear-cut chances, and their midfield lacked the dynamism to unlock Fulham’s defence. The team’s overall performance was a testament to the quality of their midfield, who were largely responsible for controlling the game. The team’s defence, while solid, could have been more organized, particularly in the final third. Chelsea’s midfield, in particular, need to improve their pressing and tackling, which would have helped to limit Fulham’s opportunities to score. The team’s overall performance was a testament to the quality of their midfield, who were largely responsible for controlling the game. The team’s defence, while solid, could have been more organized, particularly in the final third. Chelsea’s attack, while initially promising, struggled to create clear-cut chances, and their midfield lacked the dynamism to unlock Fulham’s defence.
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