Alonso starts Chelsea reign with victory over Fulham

Xabi Alonso began his tenure as Chelsea manager with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Fulham on Monday, as debutant Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro struck to give the Blues a winning start at Craven Cottage. Pedro opened the scoring after just 31 seconds before Fulham levelled through Josh King following a costly error by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Rogers restored Chelsea’s lead on his debut, justifying the British-record £117 million ($159 million) fee that brought him from Aston Villa during the summer. Read Also: Chelsea posts £262.4m loss amid agent spending surge Cole Palmer then extended Chelsea’s advantage after the break, although Fulham threatened a dramatic comeback when Gonzalo Garcia pulled one back following another Sanchez mistake. Chelsea survived a frantic finale to hand Alonso victory in his first competitive match in charge. Alonso makes winning start Alonso was appointed to revive Chelsea after their disappointing 10th-place finish in the Premier League last season. The former Real Madrid boss also has a point to prove after being dismissed by the Spanish giants after less than eight months in charge. His first Premier League outing produced an encouraging attacking display, although defensive errors will remain a concern after Chelsea twice allowed Fulham back into the contest. The victory also saw Alonso come up against former Real Madrid and Spain teammate Alvaro Arbeloa, who is now in charge of Fulham. The pair played together at Real Madrid and Liverpool and were teammates for Spain. Ironically, Arbeloa was promoted from Real Madrid B to replace Alonso at the Bernabeu after his dismissal in January. Rogers, Palmer impress Rogers made an immediate impact after his record-breaking move from Aston Villa, linking effectively with Palmer and Pedro in Chelsea’s attack. The 23-year-old operated on the left side of Chelsea’s front three, with Palmer on the right and Pedro through the middle. Palmer also delivered an influential performance after a difficult previous campaign that saw him omitted from England’s World Cup squad. Chelsea will hope the attacking partnership between Rogers and Palmer can develop into one of the foundations of Alonso’s project as the club target a return to the Champions League. Maintaining the fitness and form of the attacking duo could prove crucial to Chelsea’s hopes of climbing back into the Premier League’s top four. Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date Open In Whatsapp