Fulham 2-3 Chelsea: Palmer Leads a Thrilling Premier League Derby

A five-goal thriller, defensive question marks and another outstanding performance from Cole Palmer made this a Premier League derby to remember.

Wow. In the blink of an eye, Chelsea were 1-0 up.

Just 30 seconds had been played when a route-one ball from Fulham was headed straight back into the path of Cole Palmer. Palmer calmly moved the ball forward before slipping a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of João Pedro, who chipped the goalkeeper with ease to give Chelsea the dream start.

It was a stunning finish from Pedro — or, as Xaxi likes to call him, “Truffles”, the nickname he gave him when the pair were playing together at Real Madrid.

Chelsea Start on the Front Foot

Fulham’s defence looked shaky from the opening minutes and simply hadn’t settled. Chelsea sensed it immediately and were all over their opponents.

By seven minutes, Fulham had managed just one attacking opportunity, while Chelsea dominated possession. Pedro, Palmer and Rodgers all looked incredibly sharp, constantly asking questions of the Fulham defence.

Fulham gradually began seeing more of the ball, but Chelsea’s pressure was causing problems. Fulham looked nervous in possession, and their occasional mistakes were giving Chelsea opportunities to win the ball and attack again.
At the other end, Fulham were beginning to creep forward. A few sloppy moments from Chelsea allowed them to win corners and deliver balls into the box, a reminder that Chelsea couldn’t afford to become complacent.

Fulham Fight Their Way Back

The game became increasingly scrappy around the 17-minute mark, with both teams misplacing passes as they attempted to move the ball up the pitch.

Chelsea remained the more dangerous side, but the messy nature of the game gave Fulham hope that they could break forward on the counter.

And they nearly did exactly that.

At 19 minutes, Chelsea couldn’t get a shot away after some excellent Fulham defending. Fulham quickly turned defence into attack, with Garcia getting forward before the ball found Robinson, who burst forward and unleashed a thumping effort towards Sanchez.

Sanchez saved comfortably, but Fulham won another corner.

That moment seemed to give Fulham belief.

23 Minutes — GOAL! Fulham Level It

Fulham had started to grow in confidence and were finally beginning to control the ball.
After a series of passes, the ball found Robinson. He dribbled forward, pushed the ball out of his feet and unleashed another shot at Sanchez.

This time, the Chelsea goalkeeper couldn’t keep it out.

1-1.

The replay wasn’t kind to Sanchez. He appeared to show too much of his front post and didn’t get a strong enough hand to the shot.

But Fulham supporters wouldn’t have cared one bit.

They were level, and suddenly this was a completely different game.

Chelsea had looked the more dangerous team early on, but Fulham had worked their way back into the contest.

For the neutral, it was becoming a fantastic game.

Fulham Turn the Momentum

By 27 minutes, the momentum had completely shifted.

Fulham had flipped the game and were now the dangerous side. They looked more assured in possession, finding their passes and playing confident balls in behind.

The right-hand side was particularly effective.

With Colwill already on a yellow card and Hato struggling to enjoy his defensive responsibilities, Robinson and Oscar Bobb looked hungry to attack.

Every replay of Fulham’s goal also continued to raise questions about Sanchez. The pressure on the Chelsea goalkeeper was clearly growing.

But Chelsea weren’t going to sit back.

By 36 minutes, the match had developed into a genuine end-to-end battle. Both teams were taking turns attacking, both defences were being tested and both goalkeepers were being called into action.
Then Chelsea found another opening.

39 Minutes — GOAL! Chelsea Retake the Lead

Chelsea launched another attack and, once again, Palmer was at the heart of it.
A ball was played into Palmer, who produced an excellent turn to create space for himself. He then moved the ball into the path of his teammate, who pulled it back and took the goalkeeper out of the equation.

Rodgers arrived at exactly the right moment and smashed the ball into an empty net.

Fulham 1-2 Chelsea.

Chelsea had retaken the lead, and there was always a feeling that they could score at any moment.
Fulham’s attacks had been dangerous, but Chelsea’s attacking play looked that little bit more threatening.

Half-Time: Chelsea 2-1 Fulham- Half time thoughts

It had been an excellent first half for the neutral.

Chelsea had shown why their attack could be so dangerous, while Fulham had demonstrated that they were more than capable of causing problems.

What Chelsea Needed to Consider

• Could Chelsea step up another gear and make a statement for the rest of the season?
• Their attacking players looked lethal, but could they keep a clean sheet in the second half?
• And then there was Sanchez.
• The goalkeeper was going to be under serious pressure to keep his place after a couple of worrying moments.

What Fulham Needed to Consider

• Fulham had looked shaky after conceding inside 30 seconds, but they had gradually grown into the game.
• Could they create more moments against a Chelsea defence that had looked uncertain?
• With Colwill already on a yellow card, could Fulham continue targeting that side of the pitch?
• Robinson had looked sharp, while Josh King was eager to attack the Chelsea defence. It felt like only a matter of time before King got a clear opportunity to shoot — and if he did, you wouldn’t have been surprised to see the ball end up in the back of the net.

Palmer Takes Control Again

The second half began without another 30-second goal — but Chelsea certainly didn’t take long to remind Fulham of their attacking quality.

49 Minutes — GOAL! Palmer Makes It 3-1

Palmer was gliding across the pitch with the ball.

Fulham simply couldn’t get it off him.

This time, Rodgers held the ball up brilliantly, waited for Palmer to overlap him and then played a perfect lay-off.
Palmer smashed the ball beyond Leno.

Fulham 1-3 Chelsea.

Chelsea suddenly looked capable of running away with the game.
Fulham had to stay resolute because, at this stage, there was a genuine feeling Chelsea could turn this into a 5-1 or 6-1 victory.

Xaxi had clearly demanded an even stronger pressing game. Chelsea were looking to win the ball back immediately after losing it, and if they couldn’t, they were quickly dropping back into their shape.

Fulham Refuse to Go Away

Then, completely out of nowhere, Fulham were back in the game.

54 Minutes — GOAL! Garcia Gives Fulham Hope

A shaky moment from the Chelsea defence allowed Fulham back into the contest.
Sanchez failed to deal convincingly with the initial Fulham effort, and the ball popped up for Garcia, who headed it past the goalkeeper.

Fulham 2-3 Chelsea.

Game on.

Once again, Chelsea’s defending wasn’t convincing, and Sanchez certainly wouldn’t have been happy.

There was now a nervous feeling whenever a Fulham cross or shot entered the Chelsea box: would Sanchez deal with it perfectly, or would another mistake follow?

The Tactical Battle Begins

By 61 minutes, the game was once again completely end-to-end.

Fulham were asking questions of the Chelsea defence, while Chelsea were beginning to withstand the pressure and create attacks of their own.

Then came the substitutions.

At 63 minutes, the managers had an opportunity to change the direction of the match.

Enzo came onto the pitch and was greeted by huge boos from the Fulham supporters. Every time he touched the ball, the noise followed.

Would he answer the boos with a goal?

Fulham made their first change at 66 minutes, with Oscar Bobb making way for Shea Charles, who came on for his debut.

But at 70 minutes, Fulham still looked short of attacking energy. Their attacks weren’t carrying the same threat, while Chelsea were dealing with them relatively comfortably.

If Fulham were going to get back into the game, they needed more attacking intent.

72 Minutes — Fulham Go For It

Josh King came close, producing a fantastic effort that narrowly missed the target.
Fulham then made two attacking changes, bringing on Kevin and Sessegnon for Palacios and Sander Berge.
Fresh legs. More attacking intent.

Chelsea responded too.

75 Minutes — Xaxi Wants Another Goal

Pedro Neto came on for Gusto.

That substitution sent a clear message: Xaxi wasn’t simply looking to sit back and protect the lead.
He wanted another goal.

But Chelsea still had to be careful. Reece James was also on a yellow card, meaning Fulham had opportunities to attack defenders who were walking a disciplinary tightrope.

Fulham Nearly Find the Equaliser

At 77 minutes, Fulham launched another route-one attack.
Chelsea’s defence looked exposed.

Robinson got in far too easily and found himself through on goal. He attempted to lob Sanchez but got it badly wrong.
He should have scored.

It remained 3-2 to Chelsea, but Fulham suddenly looked the more likely team to score the next goal.
Then came another concern for Chelsea.

80 Minutes — Palmer Goes Down

Palmer had been the outstanding player on the pitch and was certainly looking like the obvious candidate for Man of the Match.

But suddenly he pulled up and wanted to be substituted.

Would Xaxi bring on another defender and protect the lead?

At 82 minutes, Fulham replaced Robinson with Muniz, another attacking option.
Chelsea took off Palmer and Rodgers, bringing on fresh legs to see out the game.

A Nervy Final Few Minutes

As the second half progressed, the game became increasingly tactical.
The substitutions mattered.

Which manager could get the biggest impact from his changes?
Fulham continued creeping forward, but every time they committed men forward they risked leaving space for Chelsea to counter.

And Chelsea had already shown how dangerous they could be in transition.

At 89 minutes, there was a feeling that this game still had another goal in it.
Both teams continued taking turns attacking, and Chelsea even found the net again — only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.

Fulham were still alive.

91 Minutes — Palmer Named Man of the Match

There could hardly have been another choice.

Cole Palmer was named Man of the Match, and rightly so.

He unlocked the Fulham defence throughout the game, played a pivotal role in Chelsea’s goals and scored one himself.
How many goals and assists could Palmer produce this season if he continues playing at this level?

Full-Time: Fulham 2-3 Chelsea

The final whistle eventually arrived.

Fulham 2-3 Chelsea.

A hard-fought Chelsea victory and an excellent Premier League derby.

For a neutral, this was almost the perfect game.

Five goals, momentum swings, tactical changes, attacking quality, defensive mistakes and a dramatic finish.

Final Assessment

Chelsea

Attacking:
Chelsea look lethal.
Rodgers, Palmer and Pedro have the potential to cause serious problems for defences throughout the season. The movement, creativity and ability to combine around the final third make this Chelsea attack extremely exciting.
If teams can’t find a way to contain Palmer, they could be in serious trouble.

Defending:
This is where the concerns remain.
Chelsea looked shaky when Fulham applied sustained pressure and gave their opponents opportunities that better finishing could have punished.

And then there is Sanchez.
His performance will certainly raise questions. There were moments when he looked excellent, but there were also mistakes that will have Chelsea supporters nervous whenever the opposition puts a cross or shot into the box.
With Emi Martínez potentially available, could Chelsea consider bringing in an experienced goalkeeper to give the defence greater confidence?

Fulham:

Attacking:
Josh King and Robinson looked like the danger men.
Whenever Fulham attacked with pace, Chelsea’s defence looked uncomfortable.
The question is whether Fulham can maintain that threat against stronger, more physical defences.

They have attacking players capable of causing problems, but they may need to find more consistency in the final third.

Defending:

Despite conceding three goals, Fulham’s defence shouldn’t be written off.
They were eventually unlocked by an exceptional player in Cole Palmer, rather than simply being completely outplayed for 90 minutes.
Leno also showed why he can be so important to this Fulham side. He looks capable of keeping them in plenty of matches throughout the season.

Final Word

This was a derby packed with everything you want from Premier League football.

Chelsea showed that their attacking firepower could be devastating, while Fulham demonstrated tremendous character by recovering from an awful start and twice putting themselves back within touching distance.

Chelsea leave with the three points, but both managers will have plenty to think about.

For Xaxi, it’s about finding a way to make this Chelsea attack even more dangerous while tightening up defensively.

For Arbeloa, it’s about taking the positives from a Fulham side that refused to surrender and finding a way to turn those promising attacking moments into more consistent results.

And for the neutral?
What a game.