Cole Palmer Shines in Chelsea's 3-2 Derby Win

Cole Palmer walked back into the spotlight and lit up west London. Xabi Alonso’s first Premier League game in charge of Chelsea turned into a 3-2 thriller at Craven Cottage, and his No 10 owned the stage.

This was chaos with a plan. Chelsea’s new front three – Palmer, Joao Pedro and debutant Morgan Rogers – tore through Fulham with the kind of swagger that turns an ordinary Monday night into a statement. All three scored. All three looked like they’d been playing together for years. At times, they looked like the most dangerous attacking line in the division.

Palmer, finally clear of the injuries that stalked him last season and rested after missing England’s World Cup campaign, produced the kind of performance Chelsea had been waiting months to see again. One goal, one assist, and a constant sense that he was two steps ahead of everyone around him.

Asked on Sky Sports afterwards how ready he was for the new season, his answer was as sharp as his football: “Did you not watch the game?”

Fulham certainly did – and they felt it after just 31 seconds.

Chelsea’s front three explode

The tone was set almost instantly. From a Maxence Lacroix header launched from his own half, Fulham’s midfield was sliced open. Palmer pounced on the loose structure, slipped a perfectly weighted pass into Joao Pedro, and Chelsea were in front before Craven Cottage had settled into its seats.

Fulham, under new head coach Alvaro Arbeloa, refused to retreat. His first Premier League outing showed exactly what he’s about: front-foot football, risk embraced, caution left in the dressing room. The Cottagers went punch for punch with their neighbours and created chances of their own.

The problem? Every time Chelsea attacked, Fulham’s back line seemed to disintegrate.

Rogers, making his debut, was the next to strike. Just before half-time, Lacroix again picked the lock, this time from wide on the right. His cross drifted beyond a static Fulham defence to the back post, where Rogers arrived unmarked and buried the finish. Record signing, dream start, and Chelsea 2-1 up in a breathless opening 45.

Rogers wasn’t done. Early in the second half, Calvin Bassey stepped up recklessly and was beaten in the air as Chelsea went long. Rogers won the flick, Joao Pedro gathered, and Palmer arrived in stride to sweep in the third. One touch, one finish, and Chelsea’s front three had a goal each.

At that point, the scoreline should have been comfortable. It wasn’t. Because while Alonso’s attack crackled, his goalkeeper combusted.

Sanchez turns a cruise into a scrap

Moises Caicedo’s surprise absence had threatened to destabilise Chelsea’s midfield before kick-off. Instead, it was Robert Sanchez who turned a dominant performance into a nerve-shredder.

The questions around the Spaniard’s status as Chelsea’s long-term No 1 will only grow after this. His first major error came midway through the opening period. Josh King cut in and hit a strong but saveable drive at Sanchez’s near post. The goalkeeper got down but not well enough; the ball squirmed through and Fulham were level at 1-1.

If that was poor, the second mistake was worse. With Chelsea 3-1 up and cruising, Timothy Castagne tried his luck from range. Sanchez failed to hold a routine effort, spilling it straight into the path of Goncalo Garcia. On debut, Garcia couldn’t believe his luck and tucked in from close range to drag Fulham back to 3-2.

Alonso refused to hang his keeper out to dry on Sky Sports afterwards.

“It’s not about talking about individuals, their situations. It’s about understanding what it takes,” he said. “For sure, the first goal we can do better than that. But it’s a process. It’s day one. And normally it’s easier to learn with three points.”

Learn they will have to. Because Fulham kept coming.

Arbeloa’s bold Fulham show their teeth

Arbeloa’s post-match message was clear. He is not about to compromise.

“It’s a new project. Time is something we coaches don’t have. But if we continue to play in that way, we’re going to win a lot of games,” he told Sky Sports. “I’m really happy and proud of my players, what I saw from them. This is the way I want to play. And we’re going to play this way no matter who is in front of us.”

On this evidence, Fulham will be fun. They committed bodies forward, pressed high and refused to let Chelsea dictate everything. They carved out enough to worry Alonso and could easily have taken something from the game.

They also defended like a side still learning a new system. Every Chelsea goal came from a defensive lapse – a midfield cut in half, a back post left vacant, a line broken by one poor decision. The structure Arbeloa wants will take time to bed in. Until it does, Fulham may have to score two or three just to stay in games.

They almost did. The best chance for a late equaliser fell to Antonee Robinson. With Sanchez stranded miles off his line, the full-back tried to loft a delicate chip into the empty net. Instead, he horribly miscued and sent it well wide. Craven Cottage groaned. Chelsea breathed again.

The home crowd had already found another villain. When Enzo Fernandez came on for Romeo Lavia on 65 minutes, the reaction was venomous. Huge jeers greeted the Argentina midfielder after his World Cup antics against England. Every touch was whistled. Every pass was greeted with hostility. It added another layer of edge to a game already crackling.

Palmer shines, then limps off

The only dampener for Chelsea came late on. Palmer, the game’s outstanding player, pulled up mid-dribble and immediately signalled to the bench that he needed to come off. He was replaced by Estevao with eight minutes to go, leaving Alonso and the away end hoping it was precaution rather than a serious setback.

By then, the damage to Fulham was done. Chelsea’s electric front three had ripped through them, and even Sanchez’s wobble couldn’t deny Alonso a winning start.

Fulham will argue they deserved more. On the balance of chances, they have a case. On the balance of control, they don’t. Chelsea’s attack decided this derby, and the scoreline flattered the hosts as much as it exposed the visitors’ goalkeeper.

Arbeloa walked away convinced his approach will bring wins. Alonso left with three points, a blazing front line, and a problem in goal. If this is “day one”, what happens when Chelsea really click?