Chelsea find their rhythm and defeat Fulham with two goals in the space of 80 seconds
Even though the recovery is still in its early stages, seeing a rampaging Mykhailo Mudryk score his first goal in 21 Premier League games, Robert Sánchez keep a clean sheet, and Armando Broja score on his return to the field after a serious knee injury will only increase Chelsea’s confidence in Mauricio Pochettino.
Chelsea hasn’t looked this confident in a while. In the first half, they disregarded Fulham and won their first league game since August. It was worthwhile to wait. Mudryk is living proof that perseverance pays off, having faced so much ridicule since joining from Shakhtar Donetsk for £88.5 million.
Chelsea has consistently emphasized the evidence that suggests their team is about to go off like a rocket. However, if performances have not matched outcomes, perhaps that is only expected from a team that has taken a big chance on so much young.
Chelsea has occasionally displayed naivety, with poor choices costing them dearly at critical times. Their troubles cannot just be attributed to their goalscoring woes. As much as Pochettino must have enjoyed seeing his assault run rings around a dazed Fulham defense, what may have thrilled him even more is the ferocity on display from the beginning of this London derby. Players winning their own battles matters too.
With two early reducers left on an irate Andreas Pereira, Moisés Caicedo immediately established the tone in defensive midfield, and Broja’s physicality caused issues up front.
It appeared as though Chelsea’s drive came from a resolve to put an end to jokes about their drop to third place in west London last season. They were pressing high and breaking quickly, showing off many of the best qualities of a Pochettino team, and the variety of their passing made Fulham look humdrum in comparison.
Pochettino was naturally concerned that Chelsea would regret not taking the lead during a strong opening period. When Broja was put through by Joo Palhinha’s errant touch and fired into the Hammersmith End after eluding Bernd Leno, the visitors began to feel uneasy.
The Chelsea supporters on the road have seen this play before. Was there going to be a deadly touch to go along with the fantastic football? Enzo Fernández missed a chance shortly after, while Mudryk missed a few chances on the left, making it difficult to feel optimistic.
Pochettino is known for his man-management abilities, and he has spent a lot of time boosting Mudryk’s self-assurance. The Ukrainian has been making progress over the past few weeks; all he had to do was maintain his composure and wait for his reward.
After those early misses, Chelsea experienced the same. After 18 minutes they kept quiet and launched another assault. Caicedo reached down and grabbed the ball, lifting his head to change the play to the left. Issa Diop was beaten by Levi Colwill’s ball into the middle after the left-back had space to attack. As soon as the ball cleared the Fulham defender’s head, Mudryk raced unopposed through the middle, took the ball to his chest, and sent a low effort past Leno to give Chelsea a deserving lead.
Fulham was unable to avoid the traps that Pochettino had placed for them. Tim Ream received the ball again after the restart, and the center-back immediately passed it to Cole Palmer. Chelsea was committing errors. Palmer punished Fulham by finding Broja, and a comedy of errors came to an end when Ream’s charge hit the 22-year-old and rolled past Leno. Palmer had justified his inclusion ahead of Raheem Sterling with a variety of deft touches on the right.
It was inadvertent, to be sure, but after stepping in for the suspended Nicolas Jackson, Broja created his own luck. His skill at running the channels made life difficult for Fulham and made room for other blue players. In a strong position, Fernández was in his element and came within 20 yards of scoring. Midfielder Caicedo was running. Palmer looks like a good purchase from Manchester City, while Conor Gallagher, who was given the captain’s armband, produced some lovely twists in the midfield and linked nicely with Palmer.
Marc Cucurella, who was filling in for Reece James and Malo Gusto at right-back, once more appeared hungry at the back. Only until Ral Jiménez’s header went wide in the first half did Fulham pose a threat. Although Axel Disasi and Thiago Silva were at ease, Pochettino was obviously looking for more. As the teams broke for halftime, he and Palmer were engaged in a lengthy talk.
Pochettino anticipated Fulham’s progress. Chelsea had lost Mudryk to a minor injury, Ian Maatsen had replaced him and later hit the post, and Fulham had shown greater vigor. If Carlos Vincius and Sasa Lukic had taken an opportunity to reduce the gap by half, the atmosphere might have altered. Chelsea had to put up a fight after taking over for a worn-out Broja.