Chelsea beat Fulham, decided by Palmer penalty

Chelsea won their third London derby in a row, beating Fulham 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. Cole Palmer scored the only goal of the game from a penalty. And the Blues survived pressure from the Cottagers in the end. They move into the top half of the table for at least a week.

Chelsea started actively, first threatening in the 12th minute when the Cottagers defence managed to stop an attempt by Enzo Fernandez. Four minutes after that, his midfield partner Conor Gallagher fired, the English midfielder only narrowly missing Bernd Leno’s goal.

Armando Broja opened the second 20 minutes with a header, but the lanky striker also narrowly missed the target. In the 28th minute, Willian threatened on the other end, but the former Blues player was brilliantly saved by Serbian goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.

Ten minutes later, midfielder Tom Cairney tried his luck, but he didn’t threaten Chelsea’s goal at all. Just when it looked like the game would go to the booths goalless, Issa Diop fouled in stoppage time and the Blues kicked a penalty.

Palmer scored the only goal of the game just before the end of the half

Cole Palmer, playing in great form, took the ball and shot to the right post to give the Blues a half-time lead. Raheem Sterling could have added an insurance goal just after the change of sides. His header was well placed but only hit the right post of Len’s goal.

A minor danger for the visitors followed, specifically a header from Mexican Raul Jimenez. But it was not headed into the area of the goal. At the other end, Levi Colwill had an insurance shot, but he also missed punishingly from the edge of the box.

In the 73rd minute, Jimenez had a better chance! But his left-footed shot missed the bar and Petrovic made a good save. Ten minutes later, the visitors were saved for the second time by the bar, which shook after a Gallagher shot. The successful shot missed by millimetres.

An unproductive performance could have cost Chelsea the points. But Willian’s free kick from just outside the box missed the target by inches. Chelsea withstood the final pressure from the visitors and moved into the top half of the table for at least a week.

Source: Canal+ Sport