This was a crash course for Xabi Alonso in life at Chelsea. His new side thrilled in possession at Craven Cottage. The front three of João Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers combined to devastating effect and there was even an assist for the new £52m centre-back, Maxence Lacroix.
At times the only issue was the two No 10s both laying claim to the ice cold celebration. Palmer had a point to prove after missing out on England’s World Cup squad and Rogers scored on his debut after his £117m move from Aston Villa. Yet victory in Alonso’s first competitive game as Chelsea’s manager was far from straightforward. He saw that he needs a better goalkeeper than Robert Sánchez and will worry about his side’s lack of smarts. Fulham, who will hope this bright start under Alvaro Arbeloa shows there is life after Marco Silva, were unfortunate not to rescue a point.
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