Xabi Alonso hails Chelsea’s front three after winning start at Fulham

Xabi Alonso described Chelsea’s 3-2 victory at Fulham as a “good first step” after his side’s first competitive match under the former Real Madrid manager was decided by goals from Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers.

Chelsea took the lead after only 31 seconds at Craven Cottage, with Joao Pedro finishing the move to reward Alonso’s decision to field the new-look attacking trio from the start.

Fulham levelled through Josh King, who capitalised on poor control from Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. The visitors restored their advantage before half-time when Rogers scored on his first appearance for the club.

Chelsea extended their lead shortly after the interval. Joao Pedro provided the assist for Palmer, who made it 3-1, before Gonzalo Garcia reduced Fulham’s deficit to one goal on his debut for the home side.

Despite Fulham’s late pressure, Chelsea held on to begin Alonso’s official reign with victory. The Spanish manager said he was pleased with the contribution of his three forwards and believes they can become central figures in his plans.

“They will be a very important part of the team,” Alonso told ESPN. “To build a team with them, they have to take responsibility, lead the others and inspire them. If they perform brilliantly, the others will follow.”

He added: “We need to get the ball to them in the best possible situations and find the connections that can bring the ball to them. I am happy with all three. They play for the team and score goals, and that is important.”

Palmer and Joao Pedro had both missed the World Cup, while Palmer was left out of the England squad.

Alonso was particularly pleased with Palmer’s display, praising the freedom and responsibility shown by the Chelsea forward during the victory.

“I am very happy for Cole,” he said. “I really enjoyed watching him play with that dynamic, freedom and responsibility, helping the team and feeling important. We need that for the team. If he feels that way, we will have a better Chelsea. I am happy for him because he enjoyed this game.”

The former Bayer Leverkusen manager also accepted that Chelsea still had defensive issues to address, particularly in the build-up to Fulham’s first goal.

“We are talking about the team,” Alonso said. “We could have dealt with the first goal better and defended to avoid it. That is part of the game, and we have to accept it and learn from it. It will be a process involving all the lines.”

He added: “We want to perform better in everything. The aim was to start well, get a good beginning, feel calm and continue.”

Enzo Fernandez began the match on the substitutes’ bench amid continuing uncertainty over his future. However, he received an encouraging response from Chelsea supporters when he came on during the second half.

Asked about the applause for Fernandez and the chants of his own name from the Chelsea fans, Alonso played down the significance of the reaction while focusing on the atmosphere inside the stadium.

“It is not very important,” he said. “I am happy to have played our first official league game. It was a great feeling in this stadium with our fans and celebrating with them.”

He added: “I felt that they were excited and hoping to see a good performance from the team, a team that gives everything to fight. It is important to build that connection.”