5 Things Learned: Chelsea 1-0 Fulham | Premier League

Chelsea defeated west London rivals Fulham 1-0 on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.

Mauricio Pochettino‘s side made it three wins on the bounce in the Premier League by defeating Marco Silva’s team.

Chelsea started the contest on top, but struggled to create clear cut chances. Fulham probably had the best opportunity of the first 45 – a delivery from Andreas Pereira found Harry Wilson at the back post, but he saw his effort well kept out by Djorde Petrovic.

Just before the half came to an end though, Raheem Sterling was brought down in the box and earned the Blues a penalty. Cole Palmer stepped up kept his 100% record from the spot this season with a composed strike.

In the second half, Chelsea looked much improved, but they still struggled to put the ball in the net, which handed openings to the away side.

Both Pereira and Willian had opportunities with free-kicks but blazed them over. There was a very late scramble in stoppage time from a set-piece but Chelsea cleared, meaning the Blues held on to all three points.

Here are five things Absolute Chelsea learned from the win:

1) Cole Palmer Chelsea’s hero once again

It was a pretty dismal performance from the Blues in the first half, but Palmer was one of the few bright sparks.

Palmer’s clever pass in added time picked out Sterling and he was then brought down to earn a penalty, which the 21-year-old took and coolly converted.

In the second half Palmer’s confidence was high, and he continued to be the key man going forward.

2) Chelsea need to kill games when on top

Following the opening goal at the end of the first half, the Blues played with much more confidence and looked a lot sharper moving up the pitch – but they struggled to kill Fulham off.

There were by no means chances galore for the hosts, but they dominated the play and failed to find that much sought after second goal.

Fulham did have chances and could have easily snatched a point, but Chelsea just about hung on.

3) Petrovic should be Chelsea’s number one

The injury to Robert Sanchez handed an opportunity to Petrovic and the Serbian has grasped it with both hands.

While the Carabao Cup Quarter-Final penalty shootout against Newcastle was his standout moment, he has also turned in consistently solid performances with hardly any mistakes.

When Sanchez comes back, Pochettino will certainly be left with a selection headache.

4) Pochettino is not out of trouble

Although Chelsea did get the win against their west London rivals, their performance was by no means convincing – especially in the first half.

It was a step forward after the disappointing defeat against Middlesbrough on Tuesday night and the Blues have won three in a row in the Premier League, but there are still plenty of questions about his future.

5) Important players are close to making full returns

While there was negative news about Christopher Nkunku’s injury this week, Ben Chilwell, Benoit Badiashile and Carney Chukwuemeka all returned to the Chelsea bench against Fulham.

Badiashile did not make an appearance but Chukwuemeka made a very late cameo and Chilwell was introduced in the 77th minute.

These players coming back could prove a big boost for Chelsea.