Chelsea began their Premier League campaign with a 3-2 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage, with Cole Palmer starring and new signing Morgan Rogers scoring on his debut.
Joao Pedro gave Chelsea a dream start, opening the scoring after just 31 seconds with a composed finish over Bernd Leno.
Fulham responded through academy graduate Josh King, who levelled the contest after a lively first half.
However, Chelsea restored their advantage when Rogers finished at the far post to mark his Premier League debut in style.
Palmer then extended Chelsea’s lead early in the second half with an excellent goal after linking up with Joao Pedro, underlining his status as the standout player on the pitch.
Fulham refused to surrender, with debutant Gonzalo Garcia pulling one back with a close-range header after Robert Sanchez had parried an effort into a dangerous area.
The hosts pushed for an equaliser, but Chelsea held on to secure all three points and hand new manager Xabi Alonso a winning start.
Palmer was rated the game’s best player by BBC Sport with a score of 9/10, while Rogers earned 8/10 for an impressive debut.
For Fulham, King was the standout performer, receiving 8/10, while Nigeria international Alex Iwobi was rated 6/10 after contributing strongly in both defence and attack.
Chelsea goalkeeper Sanchez endured a difficult outing and received the lowest rating of 3/10 after mistakes contributed to both of Fulham’s goals.
