Fulham Suffers Second Successive Defeat, as Chelsea Secures Second Victory with Fernandez's Impressive Performance Under Maresca's Guidance

In a closely contested match at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea emerged victorious against Fulham with a 2-0 scoreline. The win temporarily propelled the Blues to the top of the Premier League table, boasting seven points.

The first half of the game saw an extended period of additional time due to a VAR review that overturned Josh King's breakaway strike for Fulham. The controversial decision proved pivotal, as it denied Fulham an early lead and allowed Chelsea to capitalise on the subsequent momentum.

Enzo Maresca's Chelsea demonstrated their dominance throughout the match, accumulating 2.39 expected goals compared to Fulham's 1.09. This statistical advantage suggested a deserved victory for the home side.

The opening goal of the match came in the form of a header from Joao Pedro, who powered home a corner kick by Enzo Fernandez. Fernandez was instrumental in Chelsea's success, scoring one goal and setting up another for Pedro.

The second goal for Chelsea was awarded after Ryan Sessegnon was deemed to have handled Chalobah's attempted cross. Enzo Fernandez converted the resulting penalty kick to double Chelsea's lead.

Fulham felt that Joao Pedro had also used his arm in the lead-up to the second goal, but this was not reviewed by the VAR. Sander Berge had a late goal for Fulham cleared off the line by Joao Pedro, but it was not enough to prevent a Chelsea victory.

Joao Pedro's impressive form continued, as he scored in his fifth consecutive start across all competitions for Chelsea. He joins a select group including Diego Costa, Alvaro Morata, and Tammy Abraham in achieving this feat.

Chelsea remain unbeaten at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League in 2025, with a record of 12 games played, 9 wins, and 3 draws. They are joined by Liverpool and Aston Villa as the only ever-present sides this calendar year to remain undefeated at home.

Fulham, on the other hand, find themselves 14th in the Premier League table with two points after their first defeat of the 2025-26 season. The London club have faced a penalty in each of their first three games in the 2025-26 season, making them the sixth side in Premier League history to do so.

Despite opportunities for a late third goal from Joao Pedro and Estevao, Chelsea held on to secure a valuable three points in their pursuit of the Premier League title.

Fulham Suffers Second Successive Defeat, as Chelsea Secures Second Victory with Fernandez's Impressive Performance Under Maresca's Guidance