Cole Palmer Shines in Chelsea's Thrilling 3-2 Victory Over Fulham

Cole Palmer lit up west London and handed Xabi Alonso the perfect start as Chelsea head coach, driving a wild 3-2 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday Night Football.

This was chaos with a scoreboard. Defending came second. Entertainment didn’t.

Palmer back in command

Palmer has spent much of the last year chasing his own standards. Here, he grabbed them back.

Freed from the injuries that stalked him last season and fresh from a summer off after missing England’s World Cup campaign, he ran Fulham ragged. One goal, one assist, and a swagger that returned with a vengeance.

Asked by Sky Sports how ready he was for the new season, his answer was as sharp as his football: “Did you not watch the game?” On this evidence, it wasn’t arrogance. It was accuracy.

He needed barely half a minute to make his mark. With 31 seconds gone, Maxence Lacroix won a header near halfway that sliced Fulham’s midfield apart. Palmer pounced on the loose structure, slid in Joao Pedro, and Chelsea were in front before Craven Cottage had settled.

The tone was set. The front three never eased off.

Chelsea’s new front three explode

Alonso’s first Chelsea lineup showcased an attacking trio that looked ready-made for highlight reels. Palmer, Joao Pedro and debutant Morgan Rogers played like they had been together for years, not weeks.

Joao Pedro, also with a point to prove after his surprise omission from Brazil’s World Cup squad, buzzed between the lines and finished with the calm of a man determined to stay in this team.

Rogers, Chelsea’s record signing, brought power and timing from the left. His big moment came four minutes before the break. Lacroix, again stepping out from the back with purpose, swung in a deep cross. Rogers drifted to the far post, completely unmarked, and swept in his debut goal. Simple finish, dreadful defending, 2-1 Chelsea.

The understanding between the trio shone just after half-time. Calvin Bassey pushed up when he didn’t need to and lost out to Rogers on a flick-on. Joao Pedro collected, squared, and Palmer arrived to guide in Chelsea’s third on 49 minutes.

Three goals, three different scorers, all from the same irresistible frontline. Alonso could hardly have scripted it better.

Sanchez turns a stroll into a scrap

Chelsea should have cruised home. Fulham were brave and open, but Alonso’s side had sliced through them at will. The only reason this turned into a nervous finish was Robert Sanchez.

With Moises Caicedo missing, Chelsea’s control in midfield was always going to be tested. It was their goalkeeper, though, who opened the door.

On 23 minutes, Josh King cut inside and let fly from the edge of the box. It was powerful but straight, and Sanchez was beaten at his near post. A shot he should have dealt with, a goal that dragged Fulham back into a game Chelsea had dominated.

He wasn’t done. Five minutes after Palmer made it 3-1, Sanchez spilled a routine effort from Timothy Castagne straight into the path of debutant Goncalo Garcia. The summer signing didn’t need a second invitation. 3-2, and Craven Cottage roared back to life.

Sanchez’s status as Chelsea’s No 1 has been debated for months. This display will not quieten the noise.

Alonso, though, refused to hang his goalkeeper out to dry on night one.

“It’s not about talking about individuals, their situations. It’s about understanding what it takes,” he told Sky Sports. “For sure, the first goal we can do better than that. But it’s a process. It’s day one. And normally it’s easier to learn with three points.”

He’ll hope Sanchez learns quickly.

Arbeloa’s Fulham show their hand

If this was Alvaro Arbeloa’s first Premier League statement, it was loud and clear: Fulham will attack. Whoever they face.

They pressed high, committed bodies forward and asked questions of Chelsea’s back line all night. They also left chasms of space for Palmer and company to exploit. Every Chelsea goal came from Fulham being cut open far too easily.

Arbeloa, though, liked what he saw.

“It’s a new project. Time is something we coaches don’t have. But if we continue to play in that way, we’re going to win a lot of games,” he said. “This is the way I want to play. And we’re going to play [this way] no matter who is in front of us.”

On this evidence, Fulham will score. A lot. They should have had a late equaliser too.

With 12 minutes left, Sanchez wandered into no man’s land and Antonee Robinson suddenly found the goal gaping. His attempted chip, though, veered horribly wide. Craven Cottage groaned. Chelsea breathed again.

Noise, needle and a nervy finish

The night was already crackling when another flashpoint arrived on 65 minutes. Enzo Fernandez stepped off the bench to replace Romeo Lavia and was greeted by a wall of boos, punishment from the home crowd for his antics with Argentina against England at the World Cup.

Chelsea still had to ride out the closing stages. Fulham kept pushing, Arbeloa kept urging them on, and Alonso’s side briefly lost their attacking rhythm.

Then came a final scare for Chelsea. Palmer, the man of the night, pulled up mid-dribble and quickly signalled to the bench that he needed to come off. He was replaced by Estevao on 82 minutes, a reminder that Alonso’s new era is still built on fragile bodies as well as bold ideas.

Fulham kept swinging, but Chelsea held.

When the whistle went, the story was simple: Alonso starts with a win, his front three look lethal, and Chelsea leave with three points that their attacking play fully deserved.

The defending will need work. The goalkeeper situation may demand a decision. But with Palmer playing like this, how far can this version of Chelsea go?