Chelsea beat Fulham 2-0 in the West London derby at Stamford Bridge, but the game was marred by a lot of controversy over VAR. Joao Pedro and Enzo Fernandez scored goals that helped the Blues win their second straight league game. However, the visitors were very angry about the important calls made by the referees.
Josh King scored for Fulham in the middle of the first half, which quieted the home crowd. But after a long review by VAR, the goal was called off because Rodrigo Muniz fouled Trevoh Chalobah in the build-up. Marco Silva’s team strongly protested the decision, saying it was unfair.
Chelsea finally broke the tie deep into stoppage time in the first half. Joao Pedro jumped the highest to head in from a corner, which made Stamford Bridge go wild and gave the home team a big boost.
In the first half of the second half, VAR was in the spotlight again when replays showed a handball in the Fulham box. Enzo Fernandez stepped up to take the penalty kick and calmly scored, giving Chelsea a two-goal lead. Even though Fulham tried to fight back, Chelsea stayed disciplined on defense, and even at the end of the game. Pedro even made a key clearance off the line to keep the clean sheet.
Marco Silva, the manager of Fulham, was angry after the game and called the VAR decisions “unbelievably unfair.” Chelsea was happy to have seven points from three games, but Fulham was upset because the derby could have ended very differently without video technology.
The Blues’ win puts them at the top of the Premier League table for now, while Fulham needs to quickly regroup after a game that showed promise but ended in frustration.
Chelsea beats Fulham thanks to Caicedo’s great play
Chelsea won the derby against Fulham 2-0 thanks to a strong midfield performance and key contributions at key times. Moises Caicedo was the best player, getting an 8 rating for his strong play in the middle of the field, breaking up Chelsea’s rhythm, and controlling the game even though he didn’t get much practice during the week.
Joao Pedro was important again, scoring a huge header in stoppage time of the first half and then making a key goal-line clearance late in the game. Enzo Fernandez had a shaky game, but he stayed calm and scored the penalty that won the game.
Malo Gusto and Tosin Adarabioyo were strong in defense, and Marc Cucurella brought energy to the left. People had different opinions about Trevoh Chalobah. He had a hard time at first, but got better as the game went on.
Overall, the Blues’ disciplined play earned them seven points from three games.