CHELSEA 1-2 FULHAM: Rodrigo Muniz came off the bench to score a last-gasp winner for Fulham as Chelsea paid price for sloppy second half after Cole Palmer had given Enzo Maresca's team the lead
Rodrigo Muniz scored Fulham's late, late winner against Chelsea.
Rodrigo Muniz scored Fulham's late, late winner against Chelsea.
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Rodrigo Muniz dealt a massive blow to Chelsea's title hopes by earning Fulham a first win at Stamford Bridge since 1979.
Cole Palmer produced another stunning goal to put Enzo Maresca's team in front only for Chelsea to be pegged back by the impressive Cottagers. Marco Silva's side produced an excellent second period with Harry Wilson equalising and they deserved just about deserved their win against their neighbours, whose Boxing Day record in London derbies over the past 40 years now reads two wins, five draws and five defeats.
And the shock loss leaves Chelsea four points behind leaders Liverpool with two games extra played, while Fulham are up to eighth spot on 28 points.
Here are the talking points from an entertaining encounter at Stamford Bridge.
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Palmer delight
Even by Cole Palmer’s lofty standards this was a special goal from the most exciting England player around right now.
Receiving possession from Levi Colwill with his back to goal 35 yards out, he turned and shimmied his way past three Fulham players before casually side-footing the ball between Issa Diop’s legs and into the bottom left corner.
Few can marry such nonchalance with devastating effectiveness. And again you’re left wondering what Pep Guardiola makes of all this.
Cole Palmer had put Chelsea in front with a delightful, casual finish.
Fantastic Fulham
Marco Silva’s team are competent in every area of the pitch and in every fixture they execute their gameplan well.
And this win, a first at Stamford Bridge since 1979 has added to a recent share of the spoils with Liverpool and Arsenal, plus Tottenham.
They were brave, daring and really deserved this win. Bernd Leno made some impressive saves, they defended well and battled smartly in midfield while having more possession and shots.
Title talk quietened
Enzo Maresca’s insistence that Chelsea should not be considered title contenders because they are “not ready” is beginning to seem much more than mind games in the past 11 days since he disputed that fact following the scratchy win against Brentford.
For all the undoubted promise they have made under the Italian there remains something unconvincing about their performances and they have now dropped five points in the past two games.
This was another match in which they created enough to be well clear by the break only to then allow their opponents way too many opportunities to get back into the game.
The defence and Robert Sanchez’s kicking remain two of the most glaring issues and there is still plenty to prove if they are to match the consistency of Liverpool.
Raving about Robinson
At some point in every season there becomes a point where a ranking takes place of the best players outside of the “big six.”
So far this season it is hard to think of a defender who deserves a nomination more than Antonee Robinson.
But are we reaching a point where the United States star is indeed the best left back in the entire league? It has been a problem position for most of the top sides and it already feels inevitable that a big-money offer will be arriving at some point soon.
He got forward at every opportunity here, while also doing his defensive duties without much trouble, and provided the cross that led to Harry Wilson's late leveller.
Antonee Robinson was outstanding again for Fulham.
Chelsea’s best front four?
Enzo Maresca has chopped and changed in pursuit of the right attacking formula, while ensuring he can keep his stars as fresh as possible.
But the front four that began this one appears to be his strongest. Palmer at No10 is among the most obvious selections in the entire league, of course, while Nicolas Jackson in front of him has done a rather good job at confirming himself as the first-choice centre-forward, leaving Christopher Nkunku among those frustrated on the bench.
Yet Maresca has also now appeared to have found the right balance out wide with Pedro Neto used on the right instead of left flank, with Jadon Sancho the best option on the opposite side. This was not Chelsea at their free-flowing best and neither Sancho nor Neto produced much to add to a YouTube compilation.
But looking at the bigger picture this is the quartet that seems to be their best.
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