Morgan Rogers scores on Chelsea debut as British-record signing promises ‘more gears’

Morgan Rogers marked his competitive Chelsea debut with a goal as the £117m British-record signing helped Xabi Alonso begin his reign with a 3-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage.

The 24-year-old restored Chelsea’s lead after Josh King had cancelled out Joao Pedro’s early opener, before Cole Palmer added a third after half-time.

Rogers impressed alongside Palmer and Joao Pedro, with the attacking trio producing an encouraging performance despite playing together competitively for the first time.

“It was a great game to play in. Obviously to score and help the team win, that’s everything that I wanted from a debut,” Rogers said.

“The quality of our play was excellent and it was so enjoyable out there. Fulham is a difficult place to come to, and they played really well, but we had that fight, that grit and I think we were the better team on the night.”

Rogers was replaced after 82 minutes, with about 10 minutes remaining, as Chelsea managed his workload following an unusually short preparation period.

The former Aston Villa player represented England at the World Cup only five weeks ago and acknowledged that he is still attempting to regain full fitness.

“I didn’t feel that sharp towards the end, I was a bit tired and that’s why I came off,” he said. “I’ve not had much of a break due to the World Cup, so I wanted to keep myself fresh.”

The forward said he had worked to arrive at his new club in the best possible condition, determined not to be behind the pace after moving to Chelsea.

“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.”

Rogers also believes there is further improvement to come as he adapts to his new surroundings and Alonso’s team.

“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.”

Chelsea’s victory provided an encouraging start to Alonso’s time in charge, while Rogers’ goal offered an immediate return on the club-record investment made to sign him from Aston Villa.

The attacking combination with Palmer and Joao Pedro will be one of the positive features Chelsea can build on after their first competitive outing together. Rogers’ 82-minute contribution also gave him a platform to continue developing his match sharpness after the World Cup.

Chelsea’s next match is against Luton Town in the League Cup on Thursday, when Rogers could have another chance to build on an impressive first appearance.