Blues Cruise To 2-0 Victory Over Fulham In West London Derby

By Max Wise

Chelsea returned to winning ways by bouncing back from their first Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspurs last week with a 2-0 win over Fulham in the West London derby on Sunday.

The Blues were indebted to Pedro and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who struck in either half of the game, to move them up to third on the Premier League table with 31 points.

Fulham remain rooted at the bottom of the table with eight points from 14 games and are still the only side in the top four tiers of English football yet to keep a clean sheet in the league this season.

So much was said this week about N’golo Kante’s switch to a more forward role this season, but the Frenchman showed no offensive deficiencies when he stole possession from Jean Michael Seri in the 4th minute to find Pedro, who hit in Chelsea’s winner.

Pedro’s strike was Chelsea's 1000th goal at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.

Fulham came close to equalising in the 17th minute when Tom Cairney turned brilliantly on the left-hand side and found Calum Chambers, but the defender’s connection went straight to Chelsea keeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga

Olivier Giroud connected well to Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross in the 44th minute but Fulham keeper Sergio Rico reacted brilliantly to block the shot with an outstretched leg.

Fulham had more urgency after the break but Chelsea looked more likely to score.

David Luiz found Pedro in space in the middle, five minutes into the second half, and the Chelsea forward drove up to the edge of the box but his shot was palmed away by Sergio Rico.

Pedro turned savior for Chelsea in the 55th minute when he cleared the ball off the line after Kepa saved Calum Chambers’ header from a corner.

The world’s most expensive goalkeeper came to Chelsea’s rescue again in the 66th minute when he palmed away Chamber’s strike from a Fulham counter down the right.

Substitute Alvaro Morata missed a sitter to double Chelsea’s lead in the 74th minute.

Eden Hazard danced his way through challenges on the top of the box before his deflected shot was well saved by Sergio Rico, the ball fell kindly to Morata and the Spanish striker who had the whole goal gaping, blasted it over the bar from about six yards out.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek calmed Chelsea’s nerves moments after coming on as a substitute with his second Premier League goal of the season, eight minutes to full time.

Pedro, Eden Hazard, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all combined with quick, first-touch passes and nifty flicks, on the edge of the box, before it came to Loftus-Cheek who smashed it into the back of the net from the right side of the area.