Chelsea secured their third consecutive Premier League triumph, a feat not achieved since October 2022. The solitary goal came from Cole Palmer’s successful penalty strike, leading the team to a narrow but crucial 1-0 win against Fulham at Stamford Bridge....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
In the first half’s added time, Mauricio Pochettino’s team scored their winning goal. The top scorer of the club got his ninth-season goal by capitalizing on Raheem Sterling being tripped inside the box.
The maneuver was initiated by a stroke of brilliance from Palmer, who identified an opening and skillfully passed the ball through it. This prompted defender Issa Diop to commit an error-prone foul in response.
The visitors to Marco Silva remained competitive until the very end and did not appear to be completely defeated.
In the closing minutes, Chelsea displayed a staunch defense to invigorate their season with a true sense of momentum.
The initial period followed a usual trend: the home team held on to the ball for extended periods but failed to make significant progress in their opponents’ half. Sterling was particularly active along the left flank within 15 minutes of playtime and constantly met with opposition from right-back Kenny Tete.
Conor Gallagher, the captain of the team, had an opportunity to score in the early stages but unfortunately missed by a couple of yards when his shot from outside the box went over the bar.
After 20 minutes, Sterling chose a different approach. He passed the ball wide to Enzo Fernandez, who then delivered a cross into the center of the field. Unfortunately, Armando Broja failed to make proper contact with his header and ended up missing it entirely as he attempted to strike it towards goal from near the front post.
Fulham had the best opportunity of the half. Willian supplied Andreas Pereira, who was making a run on the left flank, and he found Harry Wilson breaking free into open space on the opposite side. Attempting to curl it inside Djordje Petrovic’s near post with his first touch, the mettle-tested goalkeeper utilized his quick reflexes well enough by extending both legs to deflect away from danger.
Although Chelsea’s added-time goal at the end of the first half was not justified based on their gameplay, credit should be given to Palmer for his fantastic pass that created an opportunity. Initially looking like he would send a long ball into the box, he instead cleverly slid a back-pass through the center as Sterling made his run forward. Diop’s tackle ultimately resulted in a penalty for Palmer, who coolly converted it without hesitation or difficulty.
Chelsea had aspirations of securing their fourth victory in five league matches, a point tally that they hadn’t accomplished since the beginning days of Graham Potter’s tenure over a year ago. The reality was that they were lucky to be ahead at halftime.
At the onset of the second period, Fernandez delivered a cross to Sterling, who aimed his header towards goal but hit the post instead. Broja was fed by Malo Gusto with a low pass near the post; however, he missed it, and Tosin cleared as Chelsea kicked off after half-time revitalized and determined.
After a slow start in the second half, Fulham finally found their momentum at the 70-minute mark. Raul Jimenez’s first-time shot towards goal drew an impressive save from Petrovic as he dropped to his right. In response, Pochettino substituted Ben Chilwell onto the pitch for his return after four months of recovering from a hamstring injury.
As Chelsea aimed to secure their victory, Gallagher’s incredible curling shot with his right foot hit the post, while Willian narrowly missed scoring from a free-kick that grazed over the crossbar. Fulham displayed resilience and refused to surrender easily.
Eventually, their time ran out as Pochettino’s successful revival of Chelsea continued…CONTINUE READING>>
