Football Review | Chelsea 2 - 0 Fulham

Did Chelsea deserve these three points?

João Pedro extended his fine scoring run as Chelsea beat Fulham at Stamford Bridge in a match dominated by contentious refereeing calls.

Author | Lewis W

Stadium | Stamford Bridge

The striker, a £55m summer signing from Brighton, headed home in first-half stoppage time to register his fifth goal in as many starts across all competitions. Enzo Fernández added a second from the penalty spot after the interval.

Referee Robert Jones and VAR official Michael Salisbury were at the centre of the controversy. Fulham thought they had taken the lead in the 21st minute when Josh King found the net, only for the effort to be ruled out after Rodrigo Muniz was deemed to have fouled Trevoh Chalobah in the build-up. Replays suggested contact was minimal, with Muniz appearing to make a natural movement while shielding the ball.

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Fulham, who had been the better side in the opening period, were punished on the stroke of half-time as Pedro rose to glance in Fernández’s corner. The Argentine then converted from the spot after Ryan Sessegnon was penalised for handball, a decision that again drew protests from Marco Silva on the touchline.

Chelsea’s victory came at a cost, however, with Liam Delap forced off early through a hamstring injury. The win nonetheless provides momentum for Mauricio Pochettino’s side heading into the international break.

Chelsea fan reaction

After the match, we spoke to a number of Chelsea who were happy with the win but concerned with some aspects of the performance.

Sammy: At last, a win despite a poor performance. It was not much of a spectacle and VAR had the biggest say. Stronger opponents will be the real test. No slight on Fulham, who were decent, but if Chelsea play like this, better sides will punish them. A complete contrast from the display against West Ham.

Liam: Another sluggish start, and Maresca has to address it. Chelsea should be coming out with intensity; otherwise they invite problems. The two key decisions went their way, but they were fortunate.

Gaz: We have suffered from plenty of poor and significant refereeing calls in the past without the same level of outrage. For me, it was never a foul, but I thought the penalty was the right call. 

Dennis: I have said before that Chelsea will need a few weeks to find their stride. In the early rounds of the season, they will be pushed around by teams, but once they settle into rhythm, they will be a very difficult side to stop.