Chelsea vs Fulham (2-0): Match Review

Chelsea looked to bounce back in the Premier League after Tottenham Hotspur inflicted a painful 3-1 defeat on their fellow Londoners. Fulham, another London based club, was hoping to further derail their opponent's season as they enjoy their first season back in the top flight after an absence of four years.

Following the defeat, the Blues registered a morale-boosting 4-0 win against PAOK FC in the Europa League with a changed lineup featuring none of the outfield players that started against Tottenham.

However, Maurizio Sarri was expected to field his preferred lineup, hoping to replicate the early season form which saw them go unbeaten for the first 12 games in the Premier League. Chelsea's talisman Eden Hazard was expected to feature again after missing out Chelsea's Europa League fixture after suffering an ankle injury against Spurs.

Heading into the match, Fulham were sitting at the bottom of the table after a difficult return back to the Premier League. Slavisa Jokanovic, who led the Cottagers back into the Premier League was sacked after securing a mere 5 points out of the opening 12 games. The outgoing Serbian was succeeded by none other than Premier League winner Claudio Ranieri.

The Italian's arrival has partially lifted the mood at Craven Cottage after Fulham defeated Southampton, which was Ranieri's first game in charge. His next challenge towards reviving his club's current fortunes was Chelsea, a team who he managed for four years and who are currently one of the best sides in England.

On paper, a Chelsea victory would have been the predicted outcome but Fulham posed a serious threat because of two reasons. Fulham would no doubt hope to finally build some momentum in order claw their way out of relegation zone.

The squad, which features some top quality talent in the form of Aleksandar Mitrović and Jean Michaël Seri, would be hungry for more. Secondly, Chelsea's defeat against Tottenham exposed a lot of defensive vulnerabilities which Ranieri most certainly would have studied.

The West London Derby, the first since 2014, could potentially derail the season for one team and on the other hand, could also spark a change in fortunes for the other.

Starting Lineups:

The hosts made two changes to the lineup that faced Tottenham as Pedro replaced Willian and Frenchman Olivier Giroud started over the Spanish striker Alvaro Morata. Fulham also made one change to the lineup from last week's win over Southampton as Andre Schurrle made way for Stefan Johansen due to injury.

Chelsea:

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cesar Azplicueta (c), Antonio Rudiger, David Luiz, Marcos Alonso, N'Golo Kanté, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Pedro, Olivier Giroud, Eden Hazard

Subs: Willy Caballero, Cesc Fàbregas, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Davide Zappacosta, Willian, Andreas Christensen, Alvaro Morata

Fulham:

Sergio Rico, Cyrus Christie, Denis Odoi, Alfie Mawson, Maxim Le Marchand, Calum Chambers, Jean Michaël Seri, Tom Cairney (c), Stefan Johansen, Aleksandar Mitrović, Ryan Sessegnon

Subs: Bettinelli, Tim Ream, Joe Bryan, Ibrahima Cissé, Neeskens Kebano, Floyd Ayité, Aboubakar Kamara

First Half: As it happened

Pedro scores Chelsea's first goal within four minutes from kickoff

Craig Pawson, the match referee, whistled to mark the start of the West London derby, which resumed after a 4-year hiatus. The away side started brightly with plenty of early possession but Chelsea soon recovered after Kante stole the ball from Seri in Fulham's own half. The French midfielder set up Pedro who coolly finished to put Chelsea ahead within four minutes in the first half.

The hosts soon after started to dictate proceedings as Fulham largely played on the counter, which has usually been the case at Stamford Bridge for the visitors. After a spell of possession, Fulham tried to assert themselves by carving out a chance but Arrizabalaga easily caught Calum Chambers' shot on target at the 15th minute.

Chelsea were often left frustrated with Marcos Alonso's delivery from out wide even after being afforded a lot of space down the left-hand side. The home side continued their dominance, passing the ball around trying to find inroads through Fulham's defence.

Eden Hazard, who was surprisingly quiet until now, found space down the left-hand side and slid in Olivier Giroud, who was let down by his first touch as he failed to make the most of the opportunity.

Eden Hazard harassed by Fulham defender Odoi

Pawson came close to his first booking of the match against Odoi, who fouled Hazard and gave away a free kick. The Blues failed to put the set piece to good use and also failed to make the most of the corner that followed.

Fulham defender Christie was close to inflicting damage on his own team as he gave away the ball cheaply to Giroud in his own half five minutes past the half-hour mark, but Chelsea failed to capitalize on the turnover.

Cesar Azplicueta was quite conservative down the right-hand side for Chelsea this season. Three minutes from halftime, the Spaniard bombed down the right-hand side of the Fulham box and created the most clear-cut opportunity for Chelsea to add to their 1-0 lead which was saved by Sergio Rico after Giroud connected to the fullback's cross.

Fulham got the opportunity to regroup after a sustained spell of Chelsea's dominance by the halftime whistle. The hosts lead their West London neighbours by one goal as they dominated the majority of the first half.

Second half: As it happened

Mitrovic gave his best but was left largely isolated

Ryan Sessegnon, the talented teenager, was substituted at halftime due to tactical reasons and his inability to assert himself in the first half. Kamara replaced him in order to provide more defensive work rate down the flanks. Pedro, the game's only scorer, was presented with another opportunity early on in the second half but it ended up only as a shot on target.

Fulham came close to equalizing after Rudiger cleared Christie's menacing cross. The visitors again came close with the following corner soon after as Callum Chambers forced a reflex save from Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa.

The referee was also forced to shell out his first yellow card of the match to Fulham defender Odoi after clearing out Pedro with a high boot following Kepa's save from the corner.

This event was followed by a small spell of dominance Claudio Ranieri's team. The Italian head coach's pillar of his Leicester City's title-winning team, N'Golo Kanté, won a free kick from a promising position for Chelsea, and the opportunity ended up with a tame effort by Marcos Alonso, which was easily saved by the Fulham keeper.

Normal service for Chelsea soon resumed with dominance in possession, with Eden Hazard often proving a nuisance for the opposition defenders by winning freekicks for his team. Maurizio Sarri however, did not cut a happy figure as his team were often unable to produce incisive passing, the characteristic feature of "Sarriball".

Calum Chambers was presented with more than a couple of decent scoring chances

Calum Chambers, who saw himself at the end of more than a couple of decent opportunities forced another save from Kepa after being set up by the Fulham midfielder Cairney. At the 67th minute, Ruben Loftus-Cheek replaced Mateo Kovacic after the Croatian picked up a knock. The youngster got the opportunity to feature after Ross Barkley also got injured in the build-up to the match.

Cesar Azpilicueta was at the receiving end of Chelsea's first yellow card for his foul against Cairney, who was threatening with a Fulham counter-attack. Alvaro Morata, the substitute replacing Olivier Giroud, missed a sitter after an Eden Hazard shot was saved by Sergio Rico.

Fulham were running out of time with the score being 1-0 at 75 minutes. The Fulham boss put on Kebano in place of Cairney in search of the equalizer. Marcos Alonso, on the other hand, was replaced by Davide Zappacosta.

Eden Hazard set up Chelsea's second goal of the match at the 82nd minute. After a combination of short passes near the edge of the box at the left-hand side, the mercurial Belgian tied up Loftus-Cheek, who blasted home past Rico. The substitute continued his claim for a first-team spot under Maurizio Sarri.

Fulham looked deflated after Loftus-Cheek's goal and failed to threaten the scoreline further. The visitors, however, continued to look for a goal, but there was always a lingering threat of a counterattack from the Blues.

The Cottagers did manage to earn a corner during the stoppage time which was hopefully flicked on by De Marchand, but no one was there to head it in. This passage of play summed up Fulham's performance in the match: plenty of willingness but no end product.

Maurizio Sarri might not be a happy man today but his team was able to grind out a result and should happily take the three points and solidify their third position at the top of the table.

Key takeaways from the match

The N'Golo Kanté role:

After Chelsea's loss to Tottenham, much discussion was made about N'Golo Kante's role in the midfield. Plenty of pundits were crying out for the Frenchman to play deeper in place of Jorginho.

This game offered plenty of insight as to why Jorginho is sitting at the base of the midfield. The Italian is one of the best 'registas' in the world and characterizes 'Sarriball'. The position requires a specific skill set which is crucial in recycling the possession and feeding the creative players on the team.

Kante's role, however, involves pressing the opposition team in their own half and also contributing in defensive transitions. Also, his offensive quality is severely underrated and as the team becomes more accustomed to Maurizio Sarri's ideas, every player's end product will also improve.

The fullback situation:

Marcos Alonso did not have a particularly good game and he was subbed off late in the second half for Davide Zaapacosta. The Spaniard's qualities are fairly known but dribbling, ball retention, and crossing might not be what he's renowned for.

Under Maurizio Sarri, fullbacks constitute a very key position in the system. Napoli's Faozi Ghoulam became one of the best left-backs of the world under Sarri, and Emerson, more than Alonso, is suited to the manager's idea of a fullback.

The Brazilian left-back has been impressing with his limited outings in the Europa League and should get an opportunity in the first team at the left back spot. Eden Hazard could greatly benefit from the direct running of Emerson.

Cesar Azplicueta has been very solid defensively over the years, playing everywhere across a back four and even a back three, but the Spaniard needs to improve his offensive product. Chelsea need a wide attacking threat from the right-hand side, as Chelsea's play often gets congested down the left-hand side. He needs to start producing regularly for his side.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

The 22-year-old Chelsea's academy product has been in and around the first team for quite some time now. He impressed last season on loan at Crystal Palace and also at the World Cup during his limited opportunities.

Playing time has been hard to come by for the youngster but his attitude has been nothing but exemplary. The midfielder has grabbed every chance that he got under his manager and there is a chance that he might be finally changing Maurizio Sarri's mind regarding his role in the squad.

Imposing physicality, excellent technique, top drawer dribbling ability, eye for a pass - he has it all. His defensive contribution has also improved over time. Ruben Loftus-Cheek might make Chelsea think twice about making Mateo Kovacic's signing permanent come the end of the season.