Chelsea were doomed to a 2-1 defeat at home to Fulham on Boxing Day after two late goals from the visitors.
Cole Palmer’s blistering opener looked to have hit the spot Chelsea in control but Harry Wilson’s late header brought proceedings to a nervy end and the Blues buckled under the pressure as Rodrigo Muniz struck from close range deep into stoppage time to seal Fulham’s first win at Stamford Bridge for 45 years.
How the match unfolded
Chelsea enjoyed most of the early possession, but so be it Fulham which caused more threats, with the ever-dangerous Antonee Robinson bursting forward at every given opportunity to try and overwhelm Chelsea’s back line.
In the 15th minute, Chelsea took the lead. Out of nowhere, Palmer weaved his way around a handful of defenders and almost slotted the ball into the bottom corner.
Raul Jimenez pulled a goal back, before Calvin Bassey drew a smart save from Roberto Sanchez as Fulham tried to restore parity.
Returning Marc Cucurella was left stunned as he failed to double Chelsea’s lead. He met Enzo Fernandez’s free-kick with a header from just yards out, but could only direct his effort straight at a grateful Bernd Leno, who was relieved to see it stay at one at the interval.
Leno should have pulled off a sensational save to deny Enzo Fernandez’s long-range shot early in the second half. Seconds later, Chelsea were celebrating when Levi Colwill scored, only for an offside flag to correctly bring the celebrations to an abrupt end.
Fulham definitely had their moments. Alex Iwobi went into agony, and a series of crosses caused quite a bit of chaos in Chelsea’s box, while Sanchez had to make a great save to deny Robinson from close range.
With nine minutes to go, Fulham’s pressure paid off. Wilson raced in at the back post to head home Timothy Castagne’s cross to head home to celebrate Fulham’s first goal at Stamford Bridge since 2011.
Another excellent stop from Leno denied Jadon Sancho in the fading heat and Fulham got their deserved reward when Rodrigo Muniz fired into the bottom corner in the fifth minute of added time to seal a famous Fulham victory.
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For the first 15 minutes of this game, Palmer was quiet. He was in and out of the contest before turning the game on its head with a truly magnificent individual goal.
Channeling your inner self Eden Hazard against West Ham in 2019Palmer managed to bypass several defenders and reach the penalty area, where an incredibly casual shot slowly drifted into the bottom corner.
Defensemen aren’t giving Palmer the space he was afforded last season, so these moments of pure brilliance are becoming more and more necessary. Fortunately for Chelsea, it’s clear with every touch of the ball that Palmer is up for the challenge.
Fulham were lively in attack and can definitely feel that this result was deserved, although they have to give a lot of credit to the brilliant Bernd Leno in goal.
Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernandez and Christopher Nkunku all drew absolutely sensational saves from the Fulham stopper, who held his side at times in this game and allowed his attackers to go away and grab all three points.
Fulham’s focus here was obvious. They went to a five-man defense which allowed Antonee Robinson to play almost as a wing in attack. In the early stages, it looked like a masterstroke, with Calvin Bassey drifting to left-back to ensure Robinson needed nothing but attack.
However, Chelsea seemed to realize this, taking Robinson out of the game early on as Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto combined well on the defensive side of things. Robinson’s tall starting position seemed to deny him the opportunity to pick up the ball from deep at times, limiting his involvement at times.
The balance of this battle shifted back and forth as Robinson tried to drag Fulham back into this one. The United States international has undoubtedly caught the eye ahead of January transfer a window in which he could play a central role.
Fulham seemed to be getting stronger by the minute. They had half chances, half chances, half chances, but in the end they managed a moment of quality in front of the goal to steal all three points.
Alex Iwobi shook off Pedro Neto’s attempted foul and sent a dangerous ball that Timothy Castage cleverly headed back over the goal. Harry Wilson crept in for the easiest finish of his career. Muniz had more work to do, keeping his cool before firing his weaker foot into the bottom corner.
It was a fair reward for Fulham’s positivity and one that Chelsea can hardly argue with, as Fulham dominated possession for large parts of this game.
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