Alonso backs Joao Pedro, Rogers and Palmer to be Chelsea’s core after winning debut

Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso says Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer can form the attacking core of his team after a 3-2 victory over Fulham in his first Premier League match in charge.

The trio combined to produce an impressive display in Monday’s London derby, with Alonso believing they must take responsibility and lead the rest of the squad.

“They are going to be a very important part to build around them, to build the team with them,” the Spaniard said.

“They need to take responsibility. They need to lead the rest. They need to inspire the rest because if they do great, the other ones will follow.”

Chelsea made the perfect start at Craven Cottage when Joao Pedro opened the scoring after only 31 seconds. He reached Palmer’s pass before finishing to give the visitors an early advantage.

Palmer, who joined Chelsea from Manchester City in 2023, looked back to his best after a difficult previous campaign in which injuries restricted his impact. Joao Pedro returned the favour early in the second half, setting up Palmer to restore Chelsea’s two-goal advantage.

Palmer’s angled effort travelled between Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno’s legs to make it 3-1.

In between those two goals, Rogers marked his Chelsea debut by putting the visitors back in front in the 41st minute. The England international became the club’s record signing during the close season after moving from Aston Villa.

Fulham refused to surrender, with Josh King and Gonzalo Garcia both finding the net to keep the home side within reach of an equaliser. However, Chelsea’s greater attacking threat ultimately proved decisive, with the visitors registering 18 shots, six of them on target.

The result offered Chelsea supporters encouragement after their team finished a disappointing 10th in the Premier League last season. Fans also revived the song dedicated to Palmer, which had been heard far less frequently during the previous campaign as he dealt with injury problems.

“I’m very happy for Cole because I have really enjoyed seeing him playing with this dynamism, with this freedom, with this responsibility, helping the team, feeling important, and we need that for the team,” Alonso said.

“If Cole feels this way, we’ll have a better team, a better Chelsea.”

The match was also a Premier League debut for Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa, who previously played alongside Alonso for Liverpool and Spain.

Arbeloa said conceding so early had made Chelsea’s task more straightforward, but he was pleased with the way his players applied his game plan. Fulham attempted to press with energy and maintain an aggressive approach throughout the contest.

They came close to earning a point in the closing stages when Antonee Robinson tried to lob Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. The attempt would have made the score 3-3, but Robinson’s effort drifted off target.

“My players they did what they had to do,” Arbeloa said. “I can’t be happy because we lost this game. We wanted to win for our fans.

“But I think this is the way that we have to play. We’re going to play in this way, no matter who is in front of us.”