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.
There were tactical conundrums for Alonso to solve. Chelsea were without Moisés Caicedo in midfield, where there was a rare start for Roméo Lavia alongside Reece James, while Marco Palestra was unable to make his debut because of a minor knock meant there was also an adjustment on the flanks. However, while Malo Gusto and Jorrel Hato seemed cautious picks as the wing-backs in the 3-4-2-1 system Alonso used when winning the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen in 2024, the early concern belonged to Fulham.
They have also had a summer of change, Silva departing for Benfica, and it is hard to work out Arbeloa’s level given his managerial experience is limited to his spell in charge of Real Madrid after Alonso’s firing last season. The nerves deepened when Chelsea led after 31 seconds. Fulham’s defensive shape was wrong when a clearance came back at them and Palmer exacted the punishment.
The playmaker looked refreshed after a first summer off in four years and he was alert when the ball reached him, a deft flick exposing the hole left by Jorge Cuenca in the middle and sending João Pedro through to build on his scorching pre-season form by lifting a calm dink over Bernd Leno. The positive for Arbeloa is that Fulham responded by playing their football, rattling the visitors. Old failings flared, bookings for Levi Colwill and Lavia inside the first 12 minutes a reminder of Chelsea’s rashness.
Alonso saw little control and he was provided with immediate evidence that an upgrade is required in goal. He let a backpass from Josh Acheampong run for a corner and his handling was unconvincing. Josh King was close with one shot and the teenager’s luck was in when he had another go, a low drive from a tight angle exposing Sánchez at his near post and somehow squirming under the Chelsea goalkeeper.
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