Early goal, strikers scoring and Palmer starting superbly make Alonso happier than Arbeloa

Fulham (1) 2 v Chelsea (2) 3

Premier League

Matchweek 1

Talking Points

By Kaz Mochlinski at Craven Cottage

Has there ever been a more thrillingly promising start made by a new Chelsea manager than that produced by Xabi Alonso at Fulham? Rarely has such an immediate impact occurred with an opening goal after only 31 seconds.

It provided the platform for a 3-2 away victory as all three of Alonso’s new forward line of Cole Palmer, João Pedro and Morgan Rogers scored on their first appearance together in the 3-4-3 formation which he favours.

“It’s a good first day” emphasised Alonso afterwards. “I think it’s a good first day for us, for the team, for the fans as well. I saw that they were enjoying it.”

His summary was succint: “Early days; first day good one.” And his aim for the team now was also very simple: “Relax and carry on.”

But he cautioned that “it’s a performance to build from”, insisting that “the strikers, the midfielders, the defence, the goalkeepers, we want to do better in everything.”

Alonso’s former Liverpool, Real Madrid and Spain teammate, Álvaro Arbeloa, who is similarly settling into his new off-field role as Fulham’s head coach, lamented: “We conceded easy goals.”

Arbeloa mixed disappointment with positivity and realism in his analysis, as he pointed out: “We conceded goals in the first minute, at the end of the first half, and at the beginning of the second half.

“There are not worse moments to concede. But we showed character and personality, and I am very proud. We deserved a little more, but football is not about what you deserve, it is about what you take.”

João Pedro’s strike in the first attack of the match was the quickest ever goal in the opening game of a Premier League season. It also equalled the record for the fastest goal scored for a new Premier League manager.

That was originally set in David Moyes’s initial match in charge of Everton in March 2002, when David Unsworth found the net, identically after just 31 seconds, and likewise against Fulham.

On this occasion, Chelsea appeared to have the game won with goals four minutes before the break and four minutes after half-time, in the 41st minute and the 49th minute respectively.

Two Blues debutants combined as centre-back Maxence Lacroix smoothly transitioned into a silky right-winger with a skillful run and cross for Rogers to calmly claim his first Chelsea goal.

Palmer started the move, having already made the assist for the opener with a beautifully cushioned contact into João Pedro’s path, and Chelsea’s outstanding star got on the scoresheet himself by beating Bernd Leno through the goalkeeper’s legs.

However, Fulham remained in the contest as Josh King fired in, fittingly making up for his first goal in senior football being wrongly ruled out by a terrible VAR error last August at Stamford Bridge.

And Gonzalo García joined Rogers in scoring on his debut, like King taking advantage of a blunder by Chelsea’s goalkeeper, Robert Sánchez, who gifted the home team both their goals with two hapless mistakes.

“The Premier League is fantastic because sometimes the games are out of your hands - you just can’t control them” admitted Alonso, with unexpected enthusiasm, as if he was happy to embrace the chaos.

His fellow ex-Real Madrid coach, Arbeloa, was no less insightful in noting: “It’s the first game of the season. And I have been seeing all the games in the Premier League, and you can feel that no one is ready.”

Fulham had two debutants in García and César Palacios, plus another came on as a substitute in Shea Charles. Chelsea introduced Pep Chavarría and Geovany Quenda off the bench, in addition to including Rogers and Lacroix among their starters.

For the 124th consecutive match in all competitions, there was no player aged 30 or over in Chelsea’s XI. In fact, their starting line-up was the youngest of any side on this first weekend of the Premier League season, with an average age of 24 years 43 days.

Furthermore, the Blues began with two central midfielders in Reece James and Roméo Lavia who had never previously played as a pair there, despite having been together at the club for three years now.

Some unfamiliarity at the heart of the team could have contributed to Chelsea’s remarkably low possession count of only 38.5%, although Alonso also clearly wanted to get the ball as quickly as possible up to his exciting attacking trio.

Passing forward and fast had a refreshing directness in itself, plus it was an immense relief in its contrast to the hated holding on to possession and repetitively moving the ball from side to side favoured by Enzo Maresca but definitely not by the club’s fans.

Longer passes and playing at pace helped too to overcome Fulham’s energetic high pressing, for which Arbeloa reportedly prepared his squad with demanding double training sessions in pre-season.

Arbeloa’s new approach was hard to sustain as the Cottagers grew tired, and pushing higher up the pitch also left huge spaces in defence for Chelsea to exploit, exacerbated by the absence of Joachim Andersen, who was suspended.

João Pedro revelled in the added attention associated with taking over the Blues’ number nine shirt, instantly banishing the idea that it could be cursed. But above all it was his interplay with Palmer and Rogers which was wonderful to watch.

On social media, the three forwards are already being collectively called “CoJoMo”, combining Cole, João and Morgan into one name. They appeared to delight in linking up, and derivatives of the word “enjoyment” dominated their post-match thoughts.

“It was a great game to play in” said Rogers. “Obviously, to score and help the team win, that’s everything that I wanted from a debut. I thought the quality of our play was excellent, and it was so enjoyable out there.”

Chelsea’s £117 million English record signing continued: “Coming to a new team, you don’t want to come in sluggish and off the pace, so I tried to keep myself in the best shape as possible, and I’ve tried to get up to speed as quickly as I can.

“I still think there are more gears to go, and I’ve got to try and find them as quickly as possible because the games are coming thick and fast. But, as I said, I felt good out there and I enjoyed it.”

Palmer was equally happy to play again with Rogers, having been teammates as juniors at Manchester City: “When you grow up you want to play, or do anything, with your best friends, so playing football together at the best level feels surreal.”

Perhaps João Pedro, who, like Palmer, surprisingly missed the World Cup during the summer, summed the Blues brothers up best: “Cole and Morgan, they are special players. Everyone knows that. I’m very grateful to play with them.

“Because I know if I make some runs, like I did, you know Cole and Morgan are going to give the ball to me, and I have to be ready to score. So it’s very special for me to play with them.

“I think now in the game, if we move a lot, it will be difficult for defenders to pick up one player, to stay with them. The manager led us to be free on the pitch, so we understand each other well.”

That is a prospect to savour for Stamford Bridge supporters, whose side are scheduled to play all their first six Premier League matches in London. More local derbies like the one at Fulham will also entertain numerous neutrals.