Alonso enjoyed the perfect start to his reign thanks to his decision to give Rogers, Palmer and Pedro the freedom to tear into Fulham’s defence. Pedro took just 31 seconds to open the scoring with a composed finish from Palmer’s pass. Rogers showed he can justify the eye-watering £117 million ($159 million) fee that Chelsea paid to Aston Villa to make him the most expensive British player in history.
Xabi Alonso hailed Chelsea’s “special” forwards after Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro combined to inspire a 3-2 win at Fulham on Monday in his first game as Blues boss.
Chelsea’s Response After Fulham Equaliser
Chelsea regained the lead with a powerful strike from their England star, marking the second goal of the match. This came after Fulham had equalised through Josh King, capitalising on a mistake by Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Chelsea’s Alonso commented on the team’s performance, stating, “We were a threat. The three strikers were combining well and creating chances.”
“Overall, the squad is balanced. The special players need to have the freedom but as well they need to have the responsibility to help the team. “It was a really intense game. Palmer also has a chance to prove the doubters wrong after his struggles last season led to England boss Thomas Tuchel leaving him out of the World Cup squad. The former Manchester City youth team graduates both celebrated their goals with the ‘ice-cold’ gesture that Palmar has made popular after borrowing it from Rogers.
We suffered, we competed, we did whatever it takes in certain moments,” Alonso said.
