REPORT: CHELSEA 2 FULHAM 0
Pedro and Ruben Loftus-Cheek both fired in their fifth goals of the season to separate the sides in this high-noon London SW6 derby.
The opening strike came early in the game, after which Chelsea initially had all the chances. Olivier Giroud was denied on more than one occasion by the Fulham goalkeeper. The visitors’ attacking improved after half-time and we needed some sharp saves from Kepa Arrizabalaga to stay ahead.
Our neighbours were doing well to stifle our creativity at that stage, and our set-piece taking was not good, but then the opportunities came late on in the game, with Eden Hazard much involved. The best chances fell to two substitutes and although Alvaro Morata could not take him, Loftus-Cheek found the back of the net to make it two wins in four days, the reaction Maurizio Sarri called for in the wake of the first Premier League defeat of the season the previous weekend.
For his team selection today, Sarri made two changes from the side defeated at Tottenham. Giroud was the centre-forward selected, with Pedro preferred to Willian to the right of him.
Those two plus Kepa were the only three retained from the midweek win in the Europa League. Ross Barkley has an ankle problem from that game so was rested to ready him for next week.
It would have been no surprise had Claudio Ranieri, despite the ‘Tinkerman’ reputation he gained in his Chelsea days, named an unchanged side from his first game in charge of Fulham, that result against Southampton being their first victory in 10 league outings. However former Blue Andre Schurrle felt a twinge in training yesterday so missed a return to Stamford Bridge as a precaution.
Our neighbours were doing well to stifle our creativity at that stage, and our set-piece taking was not good, but then the opportunities came late on in the game, with Eden Hazard much involved. The best chances fell to two substitutes and although Alvaro Morata could not take him, Loftus-Cheek found the back of the net to make it two wins in four days, the reaction Maurizio Sarri called for in the wake of the first Premier League defeat of the season the previous weekend.
For his team selection today, Sarri made two changes from the side defeated at Tottenham. Giroud was the centre-forward selected, with Pedro preferred to Willian to the right of him.
Those two plus Kepa were the only three retained from the midweek win in the Europa League. Ross Barkley has an ankle problem from that game so was rested to ready him for next week.
It would have been no surprise had Claudio Ranieri, despite the ‘Tinkerman’ reputation he gained in his Chelsea days, named an unchanged side from his first game in charge of Fulham, that result against Southampton being their first victory in 10 league outings. However former Blue Andre Schurrle felt a twinge in training yesterday so missed a return to Stamford Bridge as a precaution.
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