Morgan Rogers marks £117m Chelsea debut with goal in Alonso's opener win

Xabi Alonso's tenure as Chelsea manager began with three points but ended with a stark lesson in what his new club still needs to fix. The Blues held on for a 3-2 victory at Craven Cottage despite conceding twice to a determined Fulham side now managed by Alvaro Arbeloa.

Lightning start sets the tone

Chelsea pressed aggressively from the opening whistle and forced a turnover that allowed Cole Palmer to thread through Joao Pedro, who finished clinically past Bernd Leno after just 31 seconds—the fastest goal in the club's Premier League history and the quickest opening-day strike by any team this season. The Brazilian exploited Fulham's high defensive line intelligently throughout the match.

The early advantage did not translate into control. Fulham academy graduate Josh King equalised in the 23rd minute with a shot Robert Sánchez should have saved at his near post. The Chelsea goalkeeper had already gifted the hosts a corner through a wayward clearance and would struggle again when his parried save allowed debutant striker Gonzalo Garcia to score Fulham's second.

New signings deliver on debut

Morgan Rogers, the £117m arrival from Aston Villa, justified his price tag with an assured performance. The forward pressed aggressively, had a shot blocked by Antonee Robinson early on, played in Joao Pedro for Chelsea's opener, and finished at the far post to restore the visitors' lead before half-time after excellent work from Maxence Lacroix. The £52m centre-back remarkably contributed to both of Chelsea's first two goals, heading clear to start the move for the opener before driving down the right flank and delivering the cross for Rogers' debut strike.

Palmer, omitted from England's World Cup squad, had a point to prove and dominated proceedings. The playmaker created chances, completed superb dribbles, and scored an excellent third goal from a tight angle in the 49th minute after Joao Pedro's intelligent pass exploited space behind Fulham's defence. At times the only issue between him and Rogers was both laying claim to the ice-cold celebration.

Defensive fragility threatens victory

Garcia's close-range header five minutes after Palmer's goal—Fulham's second gift from Sánchez's poor handling—set up a tense finish. Jorge Cuenca's poor clearance and mistimed tackle had contributed to Chelsea's opening goal, while he failed to stop Lacroix's cross for the second. Levi Colwill was fortunate to escape with only a yellow card after an early foul on Oscar Bobb and shared blame for Fulham's second after failing to clear a deep cross.

King was Fulham's standout performer, creating chances and almost producing a long-range equaliser in the 73rd minute. Robinson spurned a golden one-on-one opportunity with his weaker right foot in the 77th minute, lofting his finish well wide when it might have earned Fulham a point they arguably deserved. Ryan Sessegnon forced a good save from Sánchez late on as the hosts pushed for an equaliser.

Alonso will worry about his side's lack of smarts and knows he needs a better goalkeeper than Sánchez, whose rating of 3 out of 10 told the story of a shaky debut under the new manager. For Fulham, the bright start under Arbeloa offers hope that life after Marco Silva can still be productive.