Chelsea began their Premier League campaign with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Fulham in an entertaining West London derby, giving Xabi Alonso a winning start in his first league match as Blues manager.
João Pedro opened the scoring after just 31 seconds, chipping Bernd Leno after being set up by Cole Palmer. Fulham responded through Josh King, whose low effort beat Robert Sánchez at the near post.
Chelsea restored their lead before half-time when Morgan Rogers fired home from Maxence Lacroix’s cutback.
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Palmer then extended the advantage four minutes into the second half, calmly finishing after being played through by Pedro.
Fulham reduced the deficit when Gonzalo García headed in after Sánchez had parried a shot into his path, but the hosts could not find an equaliser despite late pressure.
The victory handed Alonso three points on his Premier League debut and ended Chelsea’s wait for an opening-day win since 2022.
