Chelsea kicked off the Premier League weekend with a visit of their west London rivals to Stamford Bridge, where Cole Palmer’s 45th-minute penalty strike gave the Blues a 1-0 win restoring hope in the squad and fans at large.

Mauricio Pochettino is now looking to win three league games on the bounce for the first time in his tenure, which is a feat Chelsea have not managed since 2022 and the early part of Graham Potter’s spell in charge.

Palmer dispatched the spot-kick, sending Fulham keeper Bernd Leno the wrong way to net his ninth goal since joining the Blues in August.

Conor Gallagher almost added a late second when his sweetly struck effort using the outside of his boot cannoned off the far post.

Chelsea kept Fulham at arm’s length and held on for their third consecutive victory to jump to eighth in the table of the English Premier League with 31 points.

The game was so stretched as Fulham pushed for an equaliser and Chelsea looked to launch counterattacks. Palmer almost slipped in by Madueke, but the pass was a yard astray.

After winning only 12 of their 43 league games in 2023 – the fewest they had recorded in a calendar year since 1995 – Chelsea’s 2024 league campaign has got off to the perfect start.

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