Cole Palmer’s first-half penalty gave Chelsea a narrow win over West London rivals Fulham at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.
Palmer orchestrated a reverse pass that led to Raheem Sterling being fouled by Issa Diop inside the penalty area.
Palmer confidently converted the ensuing spot-kick, deceiving Fulham keeper Bernd Leno and securing his ninth goal since joining the Blues in August.
In the final stages, Conor Gallagher came close to adding a late second, with his skillfully struck effort using the outside of his boot rebounding off the far post.
Maintaining a defensive stance, Chelsea successfully fended off Fulham’s attempts and secured their third consecutive victory, propelling them to eighth place in the table.
Meanwhile, the visitors, lingering in 13th position, have suffered defeats in four of their last five matches.
Cool Palmer fires Chelsea to win
It wasn’t a match of brilliance, but Chelsea managed to secure three points.
After a 1-0 loss to Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday, where Chelsea was inefficient in front of goal, the struggles persisted for much of the first half against Fulham.
Sixteen minutes into the game, Gallagher shot over the bar, and shortly after, Armando Broja headed Enzo Fernandez’s cross wide of the near post.
The breakthrough came with Sterling’s composure, inducing Diop into an unnecessary tackle, and Palmer’s clinical penalty execution.
In the second half, Chelsea displayed greater confidence. In the 50th minute, Fernandez delivered a cross to Sterling, whose header struck the post, albeit any goal would have been ruled out for offside.
Securing the win signified Mauricio Pochettino’s team achieving a four-match winning streak in home league matches for the first time since July 2020.
Following a challenging 2023, where they won only 12 out of 43 league games – the lowest tally since 1995 – Chelsea’s 2024 league campaign has commenced with an ideal beginning. Their next fixture is against Middlesbrough in the semi-final second leg on January 23rd.
Fulham still stuttering on the road
Fulham’s struggles away from home persisted as they faced their fifth consecutive league defeat on the road, following a 2-1 loss at Liverpool in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
In the initial exchanges, Marco Silva’s team had a prime opportunity when Antonee Robinson delivered a low cross to find Harry Wilson at the back post. However, the winger’s attempt from a challenging angle was thwarted by Chelsea keeper Djordje Petrovic.
In the 74th minute, Petrovic made a remarkable save, diving low to his right to deny Fulham’s Raul Jimenez after the forward connected with Andreas Pereira’s cutback.
The course of the match might have taken a different turn if referee Anthony Taylor had opted to send off Chelsea defender Malo Gusto in the 39th minute when the game was still goalless. Gusto’s challenge on Willian above the ankle resulted in a yellow card, a decision that was upheld by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Fulham face Liverpool in the semi-final second leg on 24 January.