00:00Old teammates and friends in opposite dugouts, Alonso in one, Arbeloa in the other.
00:05A very Spanish occasion on the banks of the English River Thames as Chelsea
00:10kick from right to left in the first 45 minutes
00:14against Fulham on home turf in their white and black.
00:19Sorry, John Brooks is the referee, not Paul Tierney.
00:25Really looking forward to the game stage tonight.
00:28Chelsea, of course, lots of people.
00:32Wow.
00:32And here's João Pedro and he dicks it past the keeper.
00:35And Chelsea are in front after not much more than 30 seconds of this game.
00:45Wow, Steve, I was literally about to say lots of people think Chelsea are going to have a really good
00:52season.
00:52Well, I'll tell you what, they've had an unbelievable start to it.
00:57Incredible, that beautiful finish from João Pedro.
01:01But what a start to the game.
01:03Is he offside now?
01:04He looks good there.
01:05Once Cole Palmer just knocks this to him, now he's good.
01:08He's absolutely fine.
01:10Great composure here.
01:12Clips it over Bernd Leno beautifully.
01:14And an amazing start to the new campaign for Chelsea.
01:20What a start.
01:2031 seconds played when João Pedro clipped this beyond Bernd Leno into the back of the Fulham net.
01:29You cannot start a season better than that.
01:32Oh, what a great finish as well.
01:36Yeah.
01:37He's having it on.
01:40Doesn't look like a game that's going to finish 1-0, does it?
01:43Doesn't look like it at all, Steve.
01:46Josh King, good hit.
01:49Well, Sanchez kept it out, and that's the main thing.
01:52But he didn't look particularly comfortable.
01:56The game very quickly switching from one end to the other.
01:59Just from Chelsea, look like they might get a second.
02:01Josh King on the edge of the box.
02:03Hits that nice, doesn't he?
02:04Hits it well.
02:06We'll see from this angle whether it moves a bit.
02:14Here's Castaña to King.
02:17It's in.
02:18It's gone straight through Robert Sanchez.
02:22And Fulham are level.
02:24Midway through the first half.
02:32Well, Josh King has probably been Fulham's liveliest contender in this first 20-odd minutes.
02:40And he's just lashed them level.
02:42But question marks may be about Robert Sanchez.
02:45Yeah, I think Sanchez feels that Josh King might be facing that cross for the six-yard box.
02:50But this young man has been excellent.
02:52He has absolutely picked his team up off the floor after going.
02:56One down after 30 seconds.
02:58And he's making things happen for them.
03:01He rolls it out wide.
03:02Makes a brilliant run.
03:04And Robert Sanchez, not sure whether that's going across the six-yard box.
03:07And before he even gets a chance to think, it has thundered past him towards the near post.
03:13Got to save that.
03:14The goalkeeper's got to do an awful lot better there.
03:18That should be a routine stop for the goalkeeper.
03:21It goes over the outstretched arm.
03:23But Fulham are back on level terms.
03:25That was a brilliant play from Josh King.
03:37Diffed forward by Lennon.
03:41Palma.
03:48He's done brilliantly with that.
03:49Jao Pedro.
03:52He's very, very close.
03:54Great work by Palma.
03:56Brilliant work from Cole Palma.
03:58Every time he's got the ball so far, Cole Palma, yes, he's sprinting with it.
04:03Watch him here, look.
04:03Picks it up.
04:05Bursts away from Alex Iwobi.
04:06And then the ball in to Jao Pedro is absolutely on a plate.
04:11Delivered beautifully.
04:12And you would expect the striker to hit the target if he does.
04:16Bernd Leno's beaten with that.
04:17There's too much pace on it.
04:20Corner kick is pulled back to Rhys James.
04:24Clipped in by the captain.
04:25Harto got some contact on it.
04:27Lavia denied.
04:29Very close range by Bernd Leno.
04:31Yeah, good save.
04:33Does that drop down perfectly?
04:35Romeo Lavia there.
04:38All clipped up to the far post.
04:39Drops down.
04:40Lavia just toe-ends it.
04:41And Bernd Leno's in absolutely the right spot.
04:44Gets his body.
04:45Keeps himself as big as he can there.
04:47Calvin Bassi rather overstretched himself there.
04:50Here's Rao Pedro.
04:54John Book says foul.
05:06Yeah, he can dip his foot in as well, Josh King.
05:08There's not a lot wrong with that challenge, really.
05:18Nicely done.
05:19Cole Palmer.
05:20This is Le Croix.
05:22He's done really well.
05:23Leno comes out.
05:24Surely it's going to be a second.
05:25It is.
05:26Morgan Rodgers.
05:28Opens his Chelsea account.
05:37Started by Cole Palmer.
05:40Involving Le Croix.
05:42Finished by Rodgers.
05:43Fulham 1, Chelsea 2.
05:46Great play from Maxence Le Croix.
05:49I like that about Chelsea.
05:51The way we've seen Hacham Pong get him forward.
05:53Now, all of a sudden, it's Le Croix's turn.
05:56Cole Palmer finds the centre half.
05:59Almost in an inside right position.
06:03Just there.
06:05Great little turn.
06:07Does really well there, Le Croix.
06:08And then that little clip is beautiful.
06:11So inviting for Morgan Rodgers.
06:13And he does exactly the right thing.
06:15Keep your head down.
06:15Hit it hard and low.
06:18It takes a little bit of reflection.
06:19But Fulham can't keep it out.
06:21Chelsea have the lead again.
06:28Well, that's a lovely start to his Chelsea career for Morgan Rodgers.
06:37And room for Cole Palmer.
06:39Robinson is retreating swiftly.
06:43Palmer dances inside of him.
06:49And gets himself inside the area.
06:51And gets away again and puts it wide.
06:54I think that took a little deflection.
06:56Cole Palmer certainly thinks so.
06:58John Brooks doesn't.
06:59But that was Cole Palmer at his best.
07:01Brilliant.
07:02Terrific there.
07:03Look.
07:03Because he recognised.
07:05He might have a teammate in an offside position.
07:07So he had to keep it.
07:08And kept wriggling.
07:09And kept skipping past those challenges.
07:13Brilliant.
07:14I've been mightily impressed with Cole Palmer.
07:17This is a very different, sharper, hungrier.
07:21Sanchez forward.
07:22Rodgers.
07:22Just got a little touch on that.
07:25João Pedro.
07:27Suspiciously offside as he collected that.
07:29But we go on for the moment.
07:30And he feeds Cole Palmer.
07:31And Palmer puts it in the net.
07:34And the flag has stayed down.
07:38There'll certainly be a check.
07:40But Cole Palmer finished it beautifully.
07:44Question is.
07:46Was João Pedro onside?
07:49The flag from Adam Nunn on this near side has stayed down.
07:54Yeah.
07:55It's a close one.
07:56It's just inside the Fulham half of the field.
08:00João Pedro.
08:01And that ball was not forward.
08:02But again, the run from Cole Palmer to go all the way around the outside of João Pedro.
08:08And then the finish.
08:09Look at the center circle.
08:13Oh, he looks like he could even be okay because he's in his own half.
08:16Yeah.
08:16I think he's just in his own half.
08:19Look at Palmer's run now.
08:20All the way around the outside.
08:22And then dropped off at absolutely the right time.
08:25And then slotted perfectly.
08:28Has it gone through Bernano's legs?
08:30I think it has.
08:31It has indeed.
08:33Yep.
08:34Brilliant finish from Cole Palmer.
08:35But the outstanding player on the field, I think.
08:40It is Chelsea's third of the game.
08:42They scored very, very early in the first half.
08:45They scored pretty early in the second.
08:59That's a little error and an opportunity pushed out by Sanchez.
09:03And the follow-up is in.
09:05From Gonzalo Garcia.
09:08And he has his first Fulham goal.
09:12And they are right back in this game.
09:16Well, Sanchez saved the effort from Castaña.
09:19But pushed it straight to Gonzalo Garcia.
09:22Great ball of play.
09:23Levi Colwell sleeps here.
09:24This ball over his head.
09:26I think he almost lets it go.
09:28He's not quite sure and alert and alive who's in and around him.
09:31But once that comes back off the goalkeeper,
09:33that is really good forward play from Gonzalo Garcia.
09:37It's a good strike initially from Timothy Castaña.
09:42Sanchez, all he can do is pop that straight down into the path of the striker who's alive and alert
09:47and a yard in front of those central defenders to get his team right back in the game.
09:52Breathe a bit of life back into Fulham.
09:54They can't just throw it in the box.
09:56Chelsea powerful with those three central defenders.
09:59So they're having to really find something a little bit special in and around the edge of the box.
10:07Given that Chelsea have been in front for all by 31 seconds of this game, they'll be disappointed if they
10:12don't win it.
10:13But here's Robinson.
10:14Oh, and that was a great opportunity to loft it over Sanchez.
10:19And he couldn't get it right.
10:21The goalie was in no man's land there.
10:23I mean, he's come out there, Robert Sanchez.
10:26He's onside as well.
10:28Anthony Robinson.
10:30That's a great chance.
10:31I mean, you've got to score that.
10:32I know it might be on his weaker side.
10:35But he knows he's got to put that in.
10:38That's an unbelievable chance there.
10:48Good header by João Pedro.
10:50And Quenda.
10:51Excellent save.
10:52Flags up.
10:53This won't count.
10:56Offside.
11:00They'll check it, of course, but Adam Nunc's flag was up.
11:04Very early on, which generally means that they're very short.
11:10Good call.
11:11Yeah.
11:11Yeah.
11:12Absolutely the right call.
11:18Bernd Lennon has to go long.
11:22Action pong.
11:24Rodrigo Muniz hits it well.
11:26And Sanchez saw it coming all the way.
11:29And that might just do it for Chelsea.
11:32Indeed it does.
11:33John Brooks blows his whistle.
11:36And Alvaro Albaloa and Xavi Alonso embrace.
11:40They served up a really entertaining game here at Craven Cottage this evening.
11:46From the first seconds literally to the last.
11:50Plenty of positives for both.
11:52But it is Chelsea who take the point.
11:56João Pedro got them going after only 31 seconds.
12:01And Fulham could never quite turn it around.
12:05Fulham 2.
12:06Chelsea 3.
12:07Everyone's opening going after Christmas timeframe.
12:07for the évidemment play,
12:07what not mean to be a baseball card trade?
12:07I'm watching this island talk typically.ана
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