Fulham 0 – 2 Chelsea

Mykhailo Mudryk’s first goal for Chelsea helped Mauricio Pochettino’s side claim their first Premier League win since August as they beat West London rivals Fulham 2-0 at Craven Cottage.

Mudryk took his goal brilliantly in the 18th minute, controlling Levi Colwill’s cross on his chest and finding the back of the net for the first time since his £88.5m arrival from Shakhtar Donetsk in January.

Chelsea had not scored in the Premier League since beating Luton on August 25 but their second arrived almost instantly, Armando Broja bundling the ball into the net from Tim Ream’s attempted tackle only 20 seconds after the restart on his first start in 11 months.

Chelsea defended resolutely as Fulham tried to muster a response in the second half, but their evening was not without negatives as scorers Mudryk and Broja were both withdrawn with apparent injury problems before Moises Caicedo hobbled off in stoppage time.

Those potential injuries may leave Pochettino with a headache given his squad is already so depleted, but the win takes Chelsea up to 11th and their manager will hope it serves as a turning point following a poor start to the campaign. Fulham, meanwhile, remain 13th.

How Chelsea claimed overdue win

Chelsea came into the game without 11 players due to injury or suspension and also had to drop Raheem Sterling to the bench following a virus, but they started brightly and soon had their reward.

Mudryk had endured a difficult start to the game, dribbling a ball out of play and firing a wild shot over, but he took his goal in superb style, taking Colwill’s left-wing cross on his chest and sending a low finish through Bernd Leno’s legs.

Fulham’s defending was poor for the opener but it was even worse for Chelsea’s second, with Cole Palmer able to cut out Ream’s slack pass and feed Broja, with Ream’s attempted recovery tackle then bouncing off the Chelsea striker and into the net.

Fulham took four points off their West London rivals last season but never really looked like getting anything from the game after that double setback, with Chelsea slicing through them repeatedly in a one-sided first half, with Conor Gallagher the standout performer.

The hosts showed some improvement after the break, creating half-chances for substitutes Alex Iwobi and Carlos Vinicius, but they only managed to carve out one clear opportunity and, when they did, Robert Sanchez was equal to it.

It came from Sasa Lukic, another substitute, when he sent a close-range attempt too close to the Chelsea goalkeeper, who pulled off a fine reflex save to preserve his side’s clean sheet.

Earlier in the half, Chelsea had spurned an opportunity to add a third, with substitute Ian Maatsen striking the post from Broja’s cut-back and Leno charging down Enzo Fernandez’s cut-back.

A third goal would have added some gloss to the result, but it was a satisfying night for the Blues nonetheless – even if their injury problems may have intensified.

What’s next?

Fulham’s next match is a Premier League clash against Sheffield United at Craven Cottage on Saturday October 7; kick-off 3pm.

Meanwhile, Chelsea face Burnley, also on Saturday October 7; kick-off 3pm.

Chelsea end barren run – Opta stats

• Chelsea had failed to score with any of their previous 47 attempts on goal in the Premier League before Mykhailo Mudryk’s opener, while there were just 82 seconds between his strike and Armando Broja’s.
• Chelsea have beaten a side starting the day above them in the Premier League table for the first time since May 2021 (a 2-1 win against 3rd placed Leicester having started the day 4th themselves), ending their 18-game winless run against such opposition in the competition (D5 L13).
• Mykhailo Mudryk netted his first goal for Chelsea in all competitions (24th appearance and with his 22nd attempt on goal) becoming the first Ukrainian scorer for the Blues since Andriy Shevchenko vs Bolton in May 2008.