Player Ratings: Chelsea 1-0 Fulham | Premier League

Chelsea held on to take all three points with a 1-0 win against Fulham on Saturday in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge.

Mauricio Pochettino‘s Blues looked to bounce back to winning ways as they hosted a west London derby against Marco Silva’s side.

Chelsea suffered an embarrassing 1-0 defeat to Championship side Middlesborough in the Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday night but the started the contest against Fulham with good energy.

The home side were in control but failed to create good chances, which allowed the visitors to grow in confidence, they even went close to opening the scoring, Andreas Pereira crossed from the left-hand side and Harry Wilson saw his strike at the back post smothered by Djorde Petrovic.

While it looked as though the teams were going to go into the break level, Raheem Sterling was fouled in the box by Issa Diop, this earned the Blues a penalty and Cole Palmer fired past Bernd Leno to give Chelsea the advantage.

The Blues looked far more confident in the second half going forward and were largely on top, they failed to capitalise on their dominance though.

As the game continued, things got more nervy for the hosts, Fulham had chances from Willian and Pereira but could not quite find the equaliser, bar some late scrambles, Chelsea managed to hold on to all three points.

Here is how Absolute Chelsea rated the players’ performance

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Starting XI:

Djorde Petrovic – 7/10

The Serbian continues to impress for the Blues, he made a very important save in the opening 45 to keep out Wilson and in the second half he was there when called upon to maintain the clean sheet.

Malo Gusto – 5/10 (90)

The Frenchman was perhaps lucky to not receive his marching orders for a rough challenge on Willian in the first half. His display other than that was below what he is capable of, normally he is a danger going forward but his end product was poor.

Axel Disasi – 6/10

It was a relatively quiet afternoon but Disasi helped the Blues hold onto the win and did not make any noticeable mistakes.

Thiago Silva – 7.5/10

Such a composed figure at the back, the Brazilian turned in an excellent display to help guide Chelsea to three points and a clean sheet. Did receive a yellow card for a tactical foul on Raul Jimenez.

Levi Colwill – 6/10

Still being played at left-back, but he was very solid defensively against Fulham. With Chilwell returning to the side it may see Colwill moved from that position and Chelsea fans will be eager to see him play a more central role.

Moises Caicedo – 6.5/10

Managed to avoid a booking despite a poor challenge as Fulham broke forward, other than that there was little the Ecuadorian did wrong in this contest. He has become a far more consistent performer and deserves credit given the amount his game has been criticised.

Enzo Fernandez – 7.5/10

The best of the midfield three against the Cottagers, the Argentine looked in control of the contest, he found good passes and pressed well. Looked a real leader on the pitch.

Conor Gallagher – 6.5/10

Still yet to score for Chelsea this season, but he went very close with an effort late on in the second half that smacked the woodwork. As ever Gallagher was bursting with energy and put a very strong shift.

Cole Palmer – 9/10 (90)

While he had a game to forget in midweek, the 21-year-old did not let that affect his performance against Fulham. Palmer was at the heart of everything good Chelsea did going forward and once again he stepped up when it mattered. As well as scoring from the penalty spot his all-round game was superb, what a talent the Blues have on their hands.

Raheem Sterling – 6.5/10 (77)

The performances from one of Chelsea’s most senior players in recent weeks have not been his best and although his overall display could have been better against Fulham, he did earn the Blues a penalty at a pivotal moment. Needs to have a bigger influence on the game.

Armando Broja – 5/10 (67)

Things are not quite clicking for the Albanian, he had a couple good chances that he snatched at in this contest, if he is going to lead the line for the Blues, he really needs to improve.

Bench:

Noni Madueke – 6/10 (67)

Looked sharp following his introduction, has really impressed since coming back into the side.

Ben Chilwell – 6/10 (77)

A very pleasant sight for Chelsea fans, Chilwell played his first minutes for the Blues since September.

Carney Chukwuemeka – N/A (90)

Alfie Gilchrist – N/A (90)