EPL: Alonso starts Chelsea stint with win over Fulham in five-goal thriller

Xabi Alonso has begun his tenure as Chelsea coach with a 3-2 win over Fulham in their English Premier League (EPL) match at Craven Cottage on Monday night.

Cole Palmer and Joao Felix scored one and assisted one each, and Morgan Rogers added another goal to lead the Blues into a new era with the hard-fought win. It was a blue face for the hosts, Fulham, starting a new life of theirs with Alvaro Arbeloa in the dugout, but goals from Josh King and Gonzalo Garcia could not prevent defeat in the London derby.

Chelsea got going with just 31 seconds on the clock; Palmer slipped Joao Pedro clean through on goal, and the Brazilian striker finished with aplomb for the lead. The Stamford Bridge side have been undone by goalkeeper errors in the past, and it resurfaced at the Cottage. Robert Sanchez was fooled by a shot at his near post when expecting a cross, but King’s low shot hit the back of the net for the equaliser.

However, £117 million signing Rogers slammed into an empty net after Maxence Lacroit’s pullback was slammed into the net by the former Aston Villa player to ensure Chelsea went into the break ahead.

Palmer extended Chelsea’s lead four minutes into the second half with a low shot from Joao Pedro’s pass, but Fulham responded through Garcia five minutes later, the recruit from Real Madrid who capitalised on a spilt shot to tuck home the rebound.

Chelsea held on to ensure Alonso maintained his perfect record of winning his first match in charge at any club- his third- while it is a third consecutive opening EPL week Fulham have failed to win. The Blues, however, claim their first win in the opening week of the EPL in four seasons. (TheCable)