Chelsea scored two quick-fire goals in the first half as Mauricio Pochettino’s side secured a first away win of the season. Mykhalio Mudryk scored his first Chelsea goal as the bragging rights went to the blue side of West London.
Here are five things we learned from the game…
At long last, Mudryk’s first goal
Embed from Getty ImagesIt had been a long time coming but Mudryk finally bagged his first goal in Chelsea blue. The winger latched onto a ball over the top and finished calmly past Bernd Leno. Could that be the catalyst that gets Mudryk firing for Pochettino’s team? Chelsea seemed to blossom in confidence after that. Mudryk was taken off a half-time, but he will be delighted to finally break his duck.
Chelsea’s pressing machine
Embed from Getty ImagesChelsea came out the blocks at Craven Cottage with something to prove. A poor start to the season had mounted the pressure on boss Mauricio Pochettino. Fulham were unable to play their game and were pressed at every moment in the first half. This caused Chelsea to pick off their hosts with ease and get in behind several times. Cole Palmer’s press on Tim Ream forced an error which striker Armando Broja took advantage of, beating Leno and putting Chelsea 2-0 up. Fulham couldn’t deal with it and subsequently were caught out, leaving the game out of reach.
A turn of fortunes for Chelsea?
Embed from Getty ImagesThis win will undoubtedly be a huge boost for Chelsea, who have underperformed so far in the Premier League. They played with a swagger and a confidence that was lacking in the early games of the season. Pochettino may now have the fans back onside ahead of a tricky run of fixtures. With their tails up, Chelsea may start to pick up points at a more rapid rate, and perhaps put the Blues back in contention for a return to European football.
Cole Palmer justifying his price tag
Embed from Getty ImagesEyebrows were raised when Manchester City sold Cole Palmer to Chelsea in the summer. Palmer was making progress under Pep Guardiola, gaining a fair amount of game time in Manchester. Chelsea signed him for £50M and he is starting to fit in well at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s injuries may have had a factor in the England U21 star getting plenty of minutes, but he has taken his chance. It was another impressive display after an assist against Brighton in the week. Palmer caused the Fulham defence all sorts of issues in his 77 minutes on the pitch. His timing of form may raise a question to Gareth Southgate who selects his England squad later in the week. Has he done enough to gain a spot?
Fulham never got going
Embed from Getty ImagesFulham came into the game with a chance to inflict further misery on their rivals but the hosts struggled to land a punch all night. Sasa Lukic came the closest to scoring for Fulham but his close range effort w was stopped by Robert Sanchez. It was an under par performance in a game that means so much to the fans. The quick-fire Chelsea goals took the game away from Fulham, and it was an uphill task from there.
