Match report and talking points as late fight breaks Blues hearts

Chelsea were beaten 2-1 at home by Fulham on Boxing Day after two late goals from the visitors.

Cole Palmer’s impressive opener appears to have been set Chelsea They dominated the game but Harry Wilson’s late header brought a nervy end to the game, and the Blues crumbled under pressure when Rodrigo Muniz scored from close range in stoppage time to seal Fulham’s first win at Stamford Bridge in 45 years.

How the game unfolded

Chelsea enjoyed most of the early possession but that was it Fulham Who caused the biggest threats, with the ever-dangerous Anthony Robinson bursting forward at every opportunity to try and beat Chelsea’s back line.

With 15 minutes on the clock, Chelsea found themselves in front. Suddenly, Palmer worked his way around a handful of defenders and almost slipped the ball into the bottom corner.

Raul Jimenez raced wide, before Calvin Bassie made a smart save from Robert Sanchez as Fulham tried to restore parity.

The returning Mark Cucurella was left wondering how he failed to double Chelsea’s lead. He met Enzo Fernandes’ free-kick with a header from a few yards out, but could only direct his effort to Bernd Leno, who was relieved to see the deficit remain at one point in the second half.

Leno needed a great save to deny Enzo Fernandes’ long-range shot early in the second half. Seconds later, Chelsea were celebrating when Levi Colwell headed home, but an offside flag brought an abrupt end to the celebrations.

Fulham certainly had its moments. Alex Iwobi It went agonizingly wide and a series of crosses caused plenty of chaos in the Chelsea penalty area, while Sanchez needed to make a brilliant save to deny Robinson from close range.

Nine minutes from time, Fulham’s pressure paid off. Wilson drifted at the back post and nodded home Timothy Castagne’s pass, moving to celebrate Fulham’s first goal at Stamford Bridge since 2011.

Another excellent save from Leno denied Jadon Sancho, and Fulham got the reward they deserved when Rodrigo Muniz scored into the bottom corner in the fifth minute of stoppage time to seal Fulham’s famous win.

Check out our Chelsea and Fulham player ratings here

For the first 15 minutes of this game, Palmer was quiet. He drifted in and out of the contest before turning the game on its head with a truly remarkable solo goal.

Directing what’s inside Eden Hazard Against West Ham in 2019Palmer managed to drift his way around several defenders and land in the penalty area, where a noticeably cross-kick traveled slowly into the bottom corner.

Defenders are not giving Palmer the same space he was given last season, so these moments of pure brilliance are becoming increasingly necessary. Fortunately for Chelsea, it is clear from every touch that Palmer is up to the challenge.

Fulham were lively in attack and can certainly feel as though this result was justified, although they must give much of the credit to Bernd Leno’s impressive goalkeeping.

Mark Cucurella, Enzo Fernandes and Christopher Nkunku all made excellent saves from the Fulham keeper, who kept his side in the game at times and allowed his attackers to go and grab the three points.

Fulham’s focus here was clear. They went to a five-man defense which allowed Anthony Robinson to play as a winger in attack. In the early stages, it looked like a masterstroke, with Calvin Bassey drifting into left-back to ensure Robinson did nothing but attack.

However, Chelsea seemed to have figured it out, taking Robinson out of the game early on as Malo Giusto and Pedro Neto combined well on the defensive end. Robinson’s high starting position sometimes seemed to deny him the opportunity to pick the ball up from deep, which limited his involvement at times.

The balance of this battle swung back and forth as Robinson tried to drag Fulham back into this battle. The US international has undoubtedly caught the eye heading into January transformation A window in which he can play a central role.

Fulham seems to be growing stronger with every passing minute. They had half-chance after half-chance after half-chance, but finally had a moment of quality in front of goal to snatch the three points.

Alex Iwobi ignored a foul attempt from Pedro Neto and sent a dangerous ball, which Timothy Castage cleverly headed back across the goal. Harry Wilson snuck into the easiest finish of his career. Muniz had more work to do, as he kept his composure before shooting the bottom corner with his weaker foot.

This was a fair reward for Fulham’s positivity and one that Chelsea cannot dispute, having seen Fulham control the ball for large parts of this match.

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