Chelsea 2-0 Fulham
On his return to Stamford Bridge, Claudio Ranieri will likely have stressed to his new charges the importance of making a good start.
So imagine his reaction when Fulham conceded a Premier League goal after just four minutes.
SBOBET fans of a Fulham persuasion would have been less than impressed but it was enough to set the tone as early and late goals provided the Premier League 2018 news story of this encounter.
It was also the ideal start for the hosts as they aimed to avoid going three Premier League games without a win for the first time since September 2016.
Highlights of the game
The opener was emphatically simple in its despatch. Jean Michael Seri was dispossessed by N’Golo Kante and slipped the ball through to Pedro whose neat footwork allowed him to control the ball and rifle into the bottom corner.
The clincher was a move to behold as Pedro, Eden Hazard and substitute Ruben Loftus-Cheek combined with a slick exchange before the latter expertly curled the ball home.
In between, Chelsea dominated possession but chances were at a premium.
Calum Chambers called Kepa Arrizabalaga into action before Olivier Giroud forced Sergio Rico to block from a tight angle and the Frenchman was then inches away from converting a Mateo Kovacic cross.
Rico denied Giroud again with an outstretched leg just before half-time as Fulham went in at the break still very much in the contest.
The pattern remained the same in the second period as Rico stopped Pedro who then turned hero at the other end by clearing off the line to deny Chambers an equaliser.
Chambers was proving Fulham’s most potent threat and again went close to levelling with a shot palmed away by Kepa.
Chelsea should have made the game safe but substitute Alvaro Morata blasted the ball over after Rico saved from Hazard and the outcome remained in the balance until the second goal which sealed the points eight minutes from time.
Chelsea are back up to third and, while Ranieri and Fulham may remain bottom, they can take heart from some real positives, not least the performance of Chambers.
With the former Chelsea man Andre Schurrle still to come back – his absence from this a big blow – the Cottagers will know that if they play like this regularly, they will make a mockery of any Premier League 2018 betting odds and survive with something to spare.
After picking up one point from six, and going down to their first league defeat of the season at Tottenham last weekend, Chelsea continue to be in a position to pounce should those above them slip up.
Key Statistics
Pedro’s opener was Chelsea’s 1,000 home goal in Premier League history.Their first was scored by Mick Harford in a 1-1 draw with Oldham Athletic in August 1992.
Fulham remain the only side in the professional leagues of English football yet to keep a clean sheet in the league this season.
Fulham are winless in their last 44 Premier League away games when trailing at half-time. The last time they won when behind at the break was 3-1 at Man City in April 2009.
The Blues have not lost at Stamford Bridge since April, yet this is the first time in 2018 that they have kept consecutive home league clean sheets. That run includes 11 home games in the Premier League (won six, drawn five) – their longest unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge in the competition since August 2015 (a run of 21 games).
Fulham have picked up just one point from a possible 24 in away games this season.
Fulham have conceded at least two goals in 12 of their 14 league games.
They have conceded 20 away goals, more than any other team in the Premier League this term.
Fulham have lost all four of their London derbies in the Premier League this season, with an aggregate score of 12-2.
Chelsea have scored 12 goals (out of their 30) in the final 15 minutes of games in the Premier League this season, more than any other side.
Fulham have conceded 35 goals in the Premier League this season – their joint-most after 14 games of a top-flight league campaign (35 in 1959-60).
Fulham’s last win over Chelsea came in March 2006 when Luis Boa Morte’s goal gave them a 1-0 win at Craven Cottage.
Chelsea are unbeaten the last 17 times they have faced Fulham in the league and have lost only one of their 27 Premier League matches against the Cottagers (won 16, drawn 10).
What’s next?
Both clubs are back in action in midweek.
Chelsea face another newly promoted club with a trip to Molyneux to face Wolves before yet another London derby at West Ham.
They then entertain Bournemouth in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.
Fulham host Leicester City on Wednesday (December 5) ahead of a trip to Old Trafford to meet Manchester United next weekend.
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