Xabi Alonso begins his Chelsea reign with victory as Morgan Rogers scores on his debut in a thrilling 3-2 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Joao Pedro gives Chelsea a dream start, scoring after just 31 seconds before Fulham hit back through Josh King after a mistake by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Rogers, who joined Chelsea from Aston Villa for a reported £117m, restores Chelsea’s lead shortly before half-time with a composed finish.
Cole Palmer then extends Chelsea’s advantage four minutes after the break, although Fulham fight back when Gonzalo Garcia capitalises on another Sanchez error.
Chelsea withstand late pressure to secure three points and give Alonso a winning start in his first Premier League match in charge.
Alonso was appointed to revive Chelsea after their disappointing 10th-place finish last season. The former Real Madrid manager is also looking to rebuild his reputation after leaving the Spanish club after less than eight months in charge.
The match also sees Alonso face his former Real Madrid team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa, who is now Fulham manager.
The pair played together for seven years at Real Madrid and Liverpool and also represented Spain. Ironically, Arbeloa replaced Alonso at Real Madrid’s B team after Alonso was dismissed by the club.
Chelsea’s attacking trio of Rogers, Palmer and Pedro cause Fulham problems throughout the match, with the visitors showing attacking intent despite being exposed at times by Alonso’s 3-4-3 formation.
Pedro opens the scoring after Levi Colwill’s header reaches Palmer, who cleverly flicks the ball into the striker’s path. Pedro keeps his composure to beat Bernd Leno.
Fulham level in the 23rd minute when King’s shot slips through Sanchez’s hands.
Chelsea regain the lead in the 41st minute when Palmer releases debutant defender Maxence Lacroix, whose low cross finds Rogers for a clinical finish.
Palmer then makes it 3-1 shortly after half-time, finishing from a tight angle after Pedro holds the ball up during the build-up.
Fulham respond when Sanchez fails to deal properly with Timothy Castagne’s effort, allowing Garcia to head in the rebound on his debut.
The hosts push for an equaliser, with King firing narrowly wide and Antonee Robinson also missing the target with a lob.
Chelsea hold on, giving Alonso an important early victory as he begins his attempt to return the club to Champions League contention.
