A winning debut, but also plenty of… suspense for Xabi Alonso on the Chelsea bench, as the Spaniard’s team prevailed 3-2 over Fulham in their Premier League opener.
The “Blues” came out firing at Craven Cottage and needed just 31 seconds to open the scoring. Palmer found João Pedro with a superb pass behind Fulham’s defense, and the Brazilian, with a cool finish, chipped the ball over Leno to make it 0-1.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Fulham didn’t take long to respond. In the 23rd minute, King took advantage of Chelsea’s sluggish defense, broke into the box, and with a powerful low shot beat Sánchez, leveling the score for Arbeloa’s team.
Chelsea, however, found a way to regain the lead. In the 41st minute, Palmer set it up, and the visitors found the back of the net again through Morgan Rogers, heading into halftime with a 2-1 lead.
At the start of the second half, the “Blues” showed they wanted to seal the deal. In the 49th minute, Palmer linked up brilliantly with João Pedro and finished the play, making it 1-3 and giving Alonso’s team a significant lead.
Just when it seemed everything was going their way, Fulham got back into the game. In the 54th minute, Garcia capitalized on another lapse in the defense and narrowed the score to 2–3, reigniting the match.
From that point on, Chelsea had to focus more on defending than on creating chances. Fulham pressed, looked for the equalizer, and had some key moments, with Sánchez having to make crucial saves to keep his team in the game and secure the three points for the “Blues.”
*photo source: AP
