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Chelsea came into the game on the back of a humiliating performance against Spurs last time out, while Fulham needed points to get out of the relegation zone. Both the clubs were looking for a victory, which promised a thrilling West London derby.
Inside four minutes of the game, Chelsea took the lead through Pedro after N'Golo Kante pounced on a mistake by Seri in the middle of the park. Calum Chambers got a half chance for Fulham from outside the box, but his shot was straight at Kepa.
As the half progressed, Chelsea got several chances to increase their lead but failed to convert any of the opportunities.
Fulham looked sharp at the start of the second half, forcing an excellent reflex save from Kepa from a corner. Ranieri's side looked more likely to score, and Chelsea's goalkeeper was called into action on numerous occasions.
Morata got a golden chance to secure all three points for the home side but missed a sitter from point-blank range, much to the dismay of the manager. However, Ruben Loftus-Cheek finished the game for Chelsea after an intricately taken shot past the goalkeeper.
It wasn't a vintage performance by the Blues, but it was enough to secure all three points. Here are the three key observations from the game:
#3 Parity restored for Maurizio Sarri
Chelsea started the season brightly, maintaining an unbeaten start of 12 games in the Premier League. Their first defeat of the season came against Tottenham Hotspur last time out.
Sarri has successfully instilled his philosophy among the players, and it is reflected in their performances as well. The Blues are no more the side built on defensive stability.
A defeat or a draw against Fulham could have taken Chelsea out of the top four for the first time this season. However, one mistake by Fulham in the first half and a good finish by Loftus-Cheek in the second half restored normalcy at the Stamford Bridge.
#2 Defensive worries for Claudio Ranieri
Fulham are one of the Premier League sides who would be hugely disappointed with their performances considering the money they spent in the summer on new players. Before the season, most pundits thought Fulham could be the surprise package of the campaign. However, their weak defense is a cause of concern for the manager and the fans.
The lack of positive results led to the sacking of Jokanovic, who was replaced by the former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri. The Italian prioritized the defense and urged the team to defend as an XI. He believed that defensive stability would be the key to Fulham's survival this season.
Today against Chelsea, Ranieri's side conceded a cheap goal after giving away secure possession in the midfield. There were numerous misplaced passes too, which could have taken the game away from Fulham in the first half had the Blues took all their chances.
The West London side are yet to keep a single clean sheet this season, and the manager knows there is still much work to be done.
#1 A routine display from the Blues
After the dismal show last week, Maurizio Sarri needed a significant response from his Chelsea players. Things didn't go as per planned throughout the 90 minutes, but Chelsea were solid when they needed to be.
Fulham started the game on the front foot and looked to take the attack to the home team. However, a lapse in concentration by Jean Michaël Seri in the midfield allowed Kante to snatch the ball from the Fulham man and place it on the path of Pedro.
The Spain international cut inside the defender before planting it past Rico with his left foot. It was also the club's 1000th goal in the Premier League.
Since then, Chelsea had all the possession and nonchalantly passed the ball around. There was a swagger about their play which was missing a week ago at the Wembley.
Both Marcos Alonso and César Azpilicueta constantly moved forward with ease and delivered dangerous crosses in the box. Giroud got two chances two score, but Rico was up to the task on both the occasions.
Chelsea should have been 2-3 goals up before the halftime.
In the second half, the best chance fell to Morata, who rushed his shot from a point-blank range, but Loftus-Cheek made sure there was no comeback from Fulham in the derby.
