Palmer stars as Chelsea edge Fulham 3-2 in thrilling London derby

August 24, 2026 10:34 pm

Cole Palmer starred as Chelsea began their Premier League campaign with a 3-2 victory over Fulham in a thrilling West London derby on Sunday.

The victory handed new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso a winning start to his Premier League reign and made him only the third of the club’s last nine managers to win their opening league game.

The defeat was Arbeloa’s first Premier League match in charge of Fulham, with both managers making their league debuts for their respective clubs.

Chelsea needed just 31 seconds to take the lead, with João Pedro producing a composed finish after Palmer picked him out.

Levi Colwill sent a Fulham clearance back into the danger area before Palmer fed Pedro, who delicately lifted the ball over goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

The goal was the earliest scored by a team in its opening game of a Premier League season.

Palmer almost doubled Chelsea’s advantage shortly afterwards but saw his effort saved by Leno, while Fulham grew into the game as both defences showed signs of uncertainty.

Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez was particularly shaky and was beaten in the 23rd minute when Josh King’s low effort flew inside his near post to restore parity.

Fulham then took control of the contest, with Josh Acheampong producing a crucial block to deny summer signing Gonzalo García a debut goal.

Chelsea regained momentum before half-time, however, with Pedro going close with a volley before Leno denied Roméo Lavia from close range.

The hosts restored their lead four minutes before the interval when two of their summer recruits combined.

Maxence Lacroix cut the ball back for Morgan Rogers, who fired a low effort past Leno to make it 2-1.

Palmer then extended Chelsea’s advantage four minutes after the restart.

Pedro released the England international behind the Fulham defence and Palmer calmly finished through Leno’s legs to put Chelsea 3-1 ahead.

Fulham responded almost immediately, reducing the deficit five minutes later.

Sánchez parried Timothy Castagne’s effort into the path of García, who headed the rebound onto the crossbar and into the net.

The goal continued García’s impressive record of scoring all seven of his career league goals at home.

Fulham pushed for an equaliser, with King going close again 18 minutes from time when his low effort narrowly missed the post.

Antonee Robinson also came close after attempting to lob Sánchez, but his effort bounced wide as Chelsea held on.

Pedro had a stoppage-time goal ruled out for offside, but Chelsea secured their first opening-day victory since 2022.

The result also extended Chelsea’s impressive record at Craven Cottage, with the Blues claiming their seventh win in their last nine visits to Fulham’s home ground, alongside two defeats.

Fulham, meanwhile, suffered their fourth consecutive defeat in Premier League season-opening London derbies.

Fawzi Kehinde

Fawzi is a journalist and subeditor covering a wide range of beats including politics, metro, and international news, among others. He also optimises stories for digital audiences.

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