Chelsea began the Xabi Alonso era with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Fulham, with debutant Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer among the scorers in an entertaining Premier League encounter.
The Blues made history by scoring the earliest-ever goal in a Premier League season when João Pedro found the net after just 35 seconds, finishing from Cole Palmer’s through-ball.
Palmer, who was reportedly left out of England’s World Cup squad, delivered an impressive performance and played a key role in Chelsea’s second goal.
He was involved in the build-up before Morgan Rogers converted from close range following Maxence Lacroix’s square pass.
Palmer then got on the scoresheet himself, running onto a pass from João Pedro before squeezing his effort through Bernd Leno’s legs to give Chelsea a two-goal advantage.
Defensive Concerns for Alonso
Despite Chelsea’s attacking brilliance, Alonso will have concerns about his team’s defending and particularly goalkeeper Robert Sánchez.
Sánchez allowed Josh King’s powerful effort to beat him at the near post, bringing Fulham back into the game.
He was then unable to deal effectively with Timothy Castagne’s effort, pushing the ball into the path of debutant Gonzalo García, who converted to make it 3-2.
Chelsea ultimately held on for the victory.
While Alonso will be encouraged by the attacking quality on display, the defensive weaknesses suggest there is still plenty of work to do if Chelsea are to mount a serious title challenge.
With further changes expected before the end of the transfer window, the Blues could nevertheless prove to be one of the most entertaining teams in the Premier League this season.
