Chelsea maintained their unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a controversial 2-0 win over Fulham at Stamford Bridge.
Fulham thought they had taken the lead midway through the first half but eventually saw Josh King’s goal controversially ruled out for a foul in the build up. To make matters worse, Joao Pedro gave Chelsea the lead in the ninth minute of first-half stoppage time after VAR and injury delays.
There was another controversial moment early in the second half when Chelsea were awarded a penalty for handball after a long VAR review. Enzo Fernandez scored from the spot in what would seal the victory.
The Blues are now unbeaten in 12 league games at home in the Premier League in 2025, winning nine.
Chelsea player ratings
Robert Sanchez: 64%
Sanchez only had to make one save and it was an easy one, in the first half. There was an excellent stop from close range lost to history, though, as the offside flag had gone. His passing wasn’t great either, completing just two long passes. But he ended the game with a clean sheet.
Malo Gusto: 65%
Produced a great interception to deny King what would have surely been a goal in the first half, one of two interceptions in total. Gusto also won possession four times in the defensive third and blocked one cross. At the other end of the pitch, the Frenchman completed eight passes into the final third.
Trevoh Chalobah: 67%
Chalobah made four interceptions retaining possession and three aerial duels, but he was also thankful for a VAR review. The Englishman lost a key battle in the middle of the pitch to Muniz, which allowed Fulham to break. Fortunately for him, it was deemed a foul, though Chalobah had struggled with Muniz’s strength anyway.
Tosin Adarabioyo: 67%
He got a lot of boos from Fulham fans but seemed to let that fuel him. Adarabioyo made six clearances in total and three interceptions retaining possession. He also won an incredible nine aerial duels, the first Chelsea player to do so in a Premier League match since Kurt Zouma’s 10 against Crystal Palace in April 2021. On the ball, the centre-back had a retention rate of 92.39%.
Marc Cucurella: 63%
The Spaniard was caught out a few times by Castagne but ended the game with five clearances and one tackle won. He also made one successful pass into the penalty area and nine passes completed into the final third.
Moises Caicedo: 73%
Caicedo produced a lovely block just before half-time to keep Chelsea level, which proved to be crucial. He made five interceptions retaining possession in total and won possession five times in the middle third. The Ecuadorean midfielder also made 11 ball recoveries and completed nine passes into the final third.
Enzo Fernandez: 70%
It was a strange game for Fernandez, who looked below par but ended with a goal and an assist. He gave the ball away a few times in both promising positions for Chelsea and dangerous ones defensively. But he still managed two interceptions retaining possession and was crucially involved in the win.
Estevao: 65%
The Brazilian was quiet in the first half with the exception of a dribble to the byline, but his cut back was poor. He completed four take-ons in total. Estevao looked livelier in the second half before coming off, having an effort on target. His decision making at key stages does still let Estevao down slightly, but that can be excused with his age. Estevao became the youngest player to start a Premier League home game for Chelsea since May 2013, at the age of 18 years and 128 days. Nathan Ake was the player to make that start against Everton 12 years ago, aged 18 years and 90 days.
Joao Pedro: 66%
Pedro had the first shot of the game, but his effort from outside the box lacked power. That would be one of the few bright moments Chelsea had in the first half — until Pedro gave them the lead. His header from a corner was excellent, sneaking into space. The Brazilian had five touches in the opposition box and three high turnovers, proving to be Chelsea’s best attacker. Pedro is the fifth Chelsea player to score at least five goals in his first Chelsea starts for the club across all competitions in the Premier League era.
Pedro Neto: 60%
Playing on the left of Chelsea’s attack, Neto had a quiet game in the first half alongside most of his teammates. There were brief moments of danger, though, with Neto completing two crosses, creating two chances and completing two take-ons.
Tyrique George: 42%
George was thrown into the game after 14 minutes to replace the injured Liam Delap and it was a direct swap, which was a surprise to some. The Englishman had a quiet game with just 16 touches, but his role was to try to stretch the Fulham defence. Was brought back off with 10 minutes to go.
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Fulham player ratings
Bernd Leno: 69%
He couldn’t really do anything about the opening goal, beaten by a good header. And he got a touch on Fernandez’s penalty but couldn’t keep it out. Leno had a good game, though, making four saves and catching one cross — including a stop to deny Pedro one-on-one. The German commanded his box well.
Kenny Tete: 54%
Tete was busy on the right, winning three tackles and making six clearances. But other than that he really didn’t have too much to do, as Fulham controlled the game in the first half.
Joachim Andersen: 58%
Defended well despite being the target off off-the-ball runs. Andersen made seven clearances, more than any other player, and also won two tackles. But the game became stretched as Fulham tried to get back into things.
Calvin Bassey: 51%
Looked really controlled on the ball in the first half and defended well when Estevao cut inside. Bassey had a retention rate of 90.63%. But he was caught sleeping from a corner for Chelsea’s opening goal, allowing Pedro to sneak in front of him..
Ryan Sessegnon: 46%
Sessegnon had a good first half in helping to keep Chelsea’s attack quiet, and started the second well. He was unfortunately penalised for handball in blocking a cross, handing Chelsea a penalty. And that counts massively against his Score. The Englishman ended his game midway through the second half with one interception, one tackle won, five clearances and one possession won in the defensive third.
Sasa Lukic: 51%
Lukic looked good in midfield both on and off the ball. He pushed high to press and to try get on the end of attacking balls. He won possession twice in the middle third and won two tackles. On the ball, the midfielder completed two passes into the penalty area and two passes into the final third.
Sander Berge: 55%
Berge was the more combative of the Fulham midfielders, winning two tackles and making one interception, alongside three possessions won in the middle third. He also made seven ball recoveries to try to keep the ball away from Chelsea. The midfielder completed 84.21% of his open play passes and boasted a retention rate of 83.67%.
Timothy Castagne: 56%
Castagne looked good playing in a more advanced role, asking questions of Cucurella. He had a good effort on goal blocked in the first half and had two touches in the opposition box. The Belgian also provided defensive support for Kenny Tete before coming off on the hour mark.
Josh King: 62%
King produced a lovely, composed finish to give Fulham the lead after a run starting in his own half. He deceived both Adarabioyo and Sanchez with a finish to the near post, having cut in. Or so he thought. The goal was cruelly ruled out for a foul in the build up, taking King’s dream goal away. Nonetheless, he looked good with five passes completed in the final third and two touches in the opposition box.
Alex Iwobi: 58%
Iwobi tried to test Sanchez with a shot from range early on but his low effort was wide. His main role in the team was to try to link up the attack, though, completing eight passes in the final third. The Nigerian also made five ball recoveries, doing his bit before coming off late on.
Rodrigo Muniz: 42%
He was very unfortunate to be penalised for a foul in the build up to King’s disallowed goal in the first half. The Brazilian had used his strength to shield the ball in the middle of the pitch, but trod on Chalobah’s foot at the same time. Muniz’s hold up play was generally excellent and gave Chelsea’s defence a lot of problems, winning four aerial duels. He was brought off after 60 minutes, having failed to test Sanchez.
How do Squawka player ratings work?
Squawka’s new player rating system is wholly stats-based. Player scores are based on the numbers they put up across a range of on-ball events, from goals scored to tackles won.
We tailored each score to the players’ respective positions using extensive research and expertise. For example, forwards are rated on metrics like shots on target, touches in the opposition box, and big chances created. Meanwhile, centre-backs are rewarded for winning aerial duels, making blocks, successful long-range passes, etc.