A subdued Chelsea performance in the early Sunday kick-off was just enough to see them claim victory over their West London rivals Fulham, as Claudio Ranieri once again returned to Stamford Bridge. Goals in the first and last ten minutes of the game from Pedro and Ruben Loftus-Cheek ensured the Blues bounced back from their harrowing demolition at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, to at least temporarily return to third place in the Premier League table.
Within just four minutes Pedro had given Chelsea the lead with a low curling shot from inside the area, and it looked as if Fulham were in for yet another long afternoon against top six opposition. This, however, didn’t come to fruition as for all their possession Chelsea failed to create enough goal scoring opportunities, a combination of passive midfield play from Maurizio Sarri’s men and aggressive man marking from Fulham.
The second half was similarly uneventful, with Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga having to make a handful of impressive saves to keep the Cottagers at bay. On 82 minutes though the relatively ineffectual Eden Hazard, suddenly found another gear, receiving the ball and laying it off into the path of the onrushing substitute Loftus-Cheek, who finished emphatically before basking in the adoration of the Chelsea fans so desperate to see him fulfil his undoubted potential.
