Chelsea

Chelsea starting XI:

Robert Sanchez: An early kicking error gifted Fulham a corner. He should have saved King's equaliser at his near post, while his initial save for Fulham's second was parried into a dangerous area, allowing Garcia to score. 3

Josh Acheampong: The 20-year-old produced a fine double clearance and block in the 27th minute and looked solid throughout. 6

Maxence Lacroix: Remarkably involved in both of Chelsea's first two goals, with his headed clearance leading to the opener and his run down the right and cut-back setting up Rogers. 7

Levi Colwill: An early mistake left him fortunate to escape with only a yellow card after a foul on Bobb. He was also partly at fault for Fulham's second goal after failing to clear a deep cross. 5

Malo Gusto: The wing-back was a surprise selection amid Chelsea's injury problems, but his passing lacked conviction at times. 5

Romeo Lavia: Booked early on after a late challenge on Bassey. He grew into the game, however, going close from a corner and moving the ball well through midfield. 5

Reece James: Saw a miscued effort saved in the first half but gradually grew into the game and helped Chelsea gain control. 6

Jorrel Hato: Operating in an unfamiliar wing-back role, the defender produced a promising early dribble and adapted well. 6

Cole Palmer: Simply the best player on the pitch. Palmer was creative, physically impressive and produced several superb dribbles before scoring an excellent third goal. He looks refreshed after the summer break. 9

Morgan Rogers: An outstanding debut. Pressed aggressively, had a shot blocked, played in Joao Pedro and then capped his display by scoring Chelsea's second with a far-post finish. 8

Joao Pedro: Opened the scoring after 31 seconds with a deft finish over Leno. He also exploited Fulham's high defensive line intelligently to set up Palmer's goal. 8

Chelsea substitutes:

Enzo Fernandez (on 65, Lavia): The Argentine was booed by the home fans on every touch of the ball and might not have featured had Moises Caicedo been fit. Still, Fernandez moved the ball around the pitch and fought for possession. 6

Pep Chavarria (on 65, Hato): It was a back-to-the-wall job for the wing-back but he did little of note on his brief debut cameo. 5

Pedro Neto (on 76, Gusto):5

Geovany Quenda (on 82, Rogers): 5

Estevao (on 83, Palmer): 5

Subs not used: Penders, Barco, Gittens, Welbeck.

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Chelsea have had three bids rejected this summer for Bournemouth and England midfielder Alex Scott, 23. (The i), external

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Steven Sutcliffe
BBC Sport Journalist

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The opening stages of this contest only confirmed what many had anticipated before a ball had been kicked this term – when Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers line up for Chelsea, Xabi Alonso has an irresistible attacking triumvirate at his disposal.

After his previous campaign was hampered by fatigue and injuries that ultimately cost him a place in Thomas Tuchel's plans at the World Cup this summer, Chelsea playmaker Palmer delivered an instant reminder of his match-winning talent in west London.

His nonchalant flick set Joao Pedro on his way and his second-half goal underlined a fine performance.

While there was also evidence that Alonso has been able to impress his ideas on the squad with some neat positional interchanges, notably for their second goal, there were also some familiar failings on show.

A lapse of concentration cost Levi Colwill a booking and his manhandling of Josh King shortly after was inadvisable at best for a player already on a yellow card.

There will also be the inevitable inquest over whether Robert Sanchez is a competent enough number one for a club with aspirations of winning the biggest trophies on offer.

The 28-year-old Spaniard had already made an unconvincing start to the new campaign with two elementary distribution errors to put his team under unnecessary pressure, when he left a huge gap at his near post to allow King to drive home an equaliser.

While further errors from Colwill and Sanchez contributed to Fulham's second, fortunately for Alonso, moments of defensive uncertainty were outweighed by the quality of Palmer and co at the other end of the pitch.

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "I think it was a professional performance. The game had different momentums. To win away in the Premier League is normally tough. We were prepared for that. Happy with the performance. It is a good first day.

"Great combination, great quality. We know if we reach them [Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer] in good positions, they have this talent to create special things and I am very happy the three forwards have scored.

"I have really enjoyed his [Palmer] performance. He has played with responsibility, with maturity but as well with freedom. It is very important for me that we get the best from Cole when he takes this role. He feels where he has to be involved and I am happy for him. If we want to have a good team and we need a great Cole.

"It is still a process for sure. We need to keep working, analysing and improving. Every game is a lesson."

On Enzo Fernandez's future: "In football, I am not surprised by anything. We will see. My wish is that we know what will happen for the future but we will see this week."

Chelsea attacker Cole Palmer, speaking to Sky Sports about winning their opening match: "It's important - away game first is always tough but we dug in and got the win."

On playing with his close friend Morgan Rogers: "When you grow up you want to play or do anything with your best friends, so playing football at the best level feels surreal."

How ready are you this season? "Did you not watch the game? I'm only joking, I'm ready, you know. It was a difficult season with injuries and whatnot but through the summer and since I've been back I've worked extra hard. Obviously with the injuries I've had to try and prevent them and work extra hard day in, day out.

"I know the talent I've got so I can put in performances like that."

On how hungry he is for the season: "Normally I'm not an emotional person, the people who know me know I'm not usually bothered about things in life, but over the summer I rested, I recharged and yeah, I'm ready and I'm hungry."

Did you know?

• Timed at 31 seconds, Joao Pedro's opener for Chelsea was the earliest ever goal scored by a team in their opening game of a Premier League season.

• Chelsea have started their Premier League season with a win for the first time since 2022-23, when they beat Everton 1-0 under Thomas Tuchel.

• Since making his Premier League debut for Chelsea in September 2023, only Mohamed Salah (15) and Ollie Watkins (10) have both scored and assisted in more games than Cole Palmer (nine).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

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Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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Chelsea are looking at alternative options to Leeds United for Mykhailo Mudryk, despite receiving a loan offer for the winger from the Elland Road side.

The Blues say they have ended talks with Leeds over the 25-year-old Ukraine international after negotiations continued throughout the weekend.

Other solutions include a move to sister club Strasbourg or to another Premier League side, with Coventry City, Napoli, Atalanta and Roma having expressed interest.

Chelsea are keen to guarantee playing time for the forward, who joined from Shakhtar Donetsk for an initial £61m in 2023, by including financial penalties if he is not involved.

However, a move to Leeds was believed to be Mudryk's favoured option, with Brentford also having had an approach turned down over attempts to include an option to buy.

Mudryk is keen to get his career back on track after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium and serving a 20-month ban.

He returned to action at the end of July and featured in Chelsea's pre-season tour of Asia.

Matt Jones
BBC Sport journalist

Week one of the 2026-27 Premier League season signals the start of a new era for London rivals Fulham and Chelsea. They meet on Monday night (20:00 BST) at Craven Cottage.

The home side have a new coach in the dugout for the first time in five years. Marco Silva moved on at the end of last season following the expiration of his contract, and Fulham made the bold choice to appoint former Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa as his replacement.

As for Chelsea, after a tumultuous 2025-26 season in which they had three different head coaches, they have opted for Xabi Alonso – another former Real Madrid boss – to steady the ship and take the team forward.

Bouncing back after Los Blancos

For Alonso and Arbeloa, this season will be about shaking off challenging respective campaigns in the Spanish capital.

The former took charge of Los Blancos at the start last season and was replaced by his former Liverpool team-mate after being sacked in January. Arbeloa also found the Madrid squad too tricky to tame and was given his marching orders at the end of the season.

A fresh start should do both of them good in theory. Arbeloa has sought to bring some gems from the Bernabeu with him to west London, though, with Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios signing from Real Madrid.

They could help Arbeloa make an early imprint on a squad that was forged in Silva's image over five years. A fast start is something that has eluded the Cottagers in recent seasons too, as they have won just one of their past six Premier League openers.

Change of plan for Chelsea?

After being appointed in May, Alonso has had plenty of time to put together his plan for the new campaign.

While Chelsea have spent big again, there has been a shift in their transfer strategy. Across the previous seven transfer windows, the Blues have signed 30 players at an average age of 20.5; this summer, they have added eight first-team players with an average age of 25.6.

The arrivals of 35-year-old Danny Welbeck and 36-year-old Jordan Henderson would indicate that Alonso feels some experience is essential in what remains a young squad.

They will both be keen to offer something on the pitch too, though. Welbeck, in particular, was fantastic for Brighton last season and netted 13 times in the Premier League.

This year will be a significant one for the former Manchester United and Arsenal man. Welbeck is set to feature in his 19th Premier League season, playing at least once in every campaign since and including 2008-09. This will be the joint-most seasons played by any striker in the competition's history, equalling Jermain Defoe (19) and overtaking Peter Crouch (18).

Welbeck and the rest of the new acquisitions will be key in uplifting the Chelsea squad after the wheels fell off last season in spectacular fashion.

From the start of March, the Blues lost a whopping eight Premier League matches, which was the most of any team in the division.

I worry about Fulham without Marco Silva in charge. They have also lost Harry Wilson's attacking influence from last season and Raul Jimenez, who led the line for them so well, too.

They have brought in Alvaro Arbeloa to replace Silva and gone down the youth route to rebuild their frontline, signing Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios from Real Madrid and Swedish teenager Jonah Kusi-Asare from Bayern Munich.

If I'm a Fulham fan, my concern would be that they always felt stable under Silva and I'm not sure what this new approach will bring.

They were never in trouble last season, but I'm expecting more of a struggle this time.

It is a new era at Chelsea as well, with Xabi Alonso in charge, and I think things will be different there too but in a positive way.

I don't think Chelsea will go from 10th to first again, like they did under Antonio Conte 10 years ago, because they had a much stronger team then.

But they have got Cole Palmer - and Morgan Rogers is an exciting signing. Alonso is a breath of fresh air too, and I think he will begin with a win.

Sutton's prediction: 0-2

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Manchester City are ready to meet Chelsea's asking price for Enzo Fernandez, with the Blues wanting £120m for the midfielder. (Football Insider), external

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Napoli have completed a loan deal for Chelsea centre-back Benoit Badiashile for the 2026-27 season.

The 25-year-old joined the Blues in January 2023 for a fee worth £35m and has made 71 appearances in all competitions for the west London club.

Badiashile endured an injury-stricken 2025-26 campaign and only featured in 16 games for Chelsea.

As reported by BBC Sport earlier this month, the Serie A club will have the option to buy the France international for £23.1m next summer.

Chris Bevan
BBC Sport journalist

Last season, Chelsea figured in all 35 top-four predictions, and finished 10th. This time, they are in 21/28 predictions, with five people backing them to be runners-up.

Chris Waddle - Prediction: 2nd

Having Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson in the team will be like having a coach on the pitch. Yes they are 35 and 36 now, but I played in the Premier League until I was 36 and I didn't really find it hard. You still have your brain and, even if your legs have gone a bit, you can have legs around you.

Pat Nevin - Prediction: 4th

As usual my top four is only a guess but it's the triumvirate of Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers up front that makes me back Chelsea to be in there more than anything else. They are a group who are exciting, and brilliant as well. It will be fascinating to see how they get on.

Nedum Onuoha - Prediction: 4th

It's a ridiculous anomaly for teams like Chelsea or Spurs to not be in Europe, and being able to focus on domestic football while they have both been spending such big money.

Premier League predictions 2026-27: BBC Sport pundits pick their top four

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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The reality of Chelsea's wider situation is they need to be transactional as they look to reduce the size of their squad.

They have around 40 players and need to trim that number closer to a more traditional 25-man party, particularly in a season without European football.

They are beginning to make headway in finding moves for players beyond Liam Delap.

Axel Disasi, 28, has been given permission to travel for a medical with Crystal Palace amid ongoing negotiations over a loan deal.

Omari Kellyman and Deivid Washington are nearing moves to Chelsea's partner club Strasbourg, while Benoitt Badiashile has undergone a medical at Napoli.

One loan place remains available at Strasbourg, with both Mykhailo Mudryk and Dario Essugo under consideration. However, both players are also attracting interest from Premier League clubs, while defender Mamadou Sarr is also expected to join another Premier League club on loan.

Tosin Adarabioyo is attracting interest from Benfica, Marseille and Premier League clubs.

Aston Villa are known to be interested in Nicolas Jackson, but that will depend on the future of Ollie Watkins, while there remains some uncertainty over Enzo Fernandez, Pedro Neto and Malo Gusto despite their involvement in Xabi Alonso's first-team squad.

It also remains unclear where Marc Guiu, David Datro Fofana and Caleb Wiley could end up, with all three available either on loan or as permanent transfers. Young Ecuadorian midfielder Kendry Paez is also expected to be recalled from River Plate and sent on loan elsewhere.

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