Full-time: Chelsea 1-0 Fulham It was edgy, it was often low-quality, it was grinding but Chelsea are up to eighth above Manchester United and Newcastle. Fulham never quite found the chances to score from. Raheem Sterling’s winning of the penalty divided the teams and Cole Palmer, as ever, took responsibility with a calm conversion. Here’s David Hytner’s piece from Stamford Bridge. “It has to be a red card for Gusto,” says Marco Silva, speaking to TNT. “We have to talk about the red card for Gusto, it was clear. It is hard to see how things aren’t consistent at the level that we’re at. This is the Premier League. In 10 of those moments, nine times it is a red card. it is a clear red card for me. VAR checked and this time they didn’t give. “I haven’t spoken to the officials. I don’t want to say what the fourth official said. He has the same opinion as me but it is not for him to say, it is for the VAR to decide. It is a normal decision from the referee but the help should come from the VAR. “It is a difficult one to take and a frustrating result for us. We always want to fight and we fought again. We took more risks in the second half and became more open. The game was really balanced when they got their penalty. The VAR decision made a huge impact on the game.” More Cole Palmer from TNT Sports: “I like to try and help the team every game with goals and assists. It’s my job going forward.” Cole Palmer, in the flash interview says he’s “delighted”, especially after the Middlesbrough. “One of them games,” he says. “I think we need a bit more leadership,” says Ben Chilwell. “Hopefully we can flick the switch too.” Richard Hirst: “Just come in from lunch, France being an hour ahead, and see that Chelsea have had five players booked - looks like we’re in moral victory territory.” Hmm, possibly. Fulham mixed it too. Full-time: Chelsea 1-0 Fulham It was edgy, it was often low-quality, it was grinding but Chelsea are up to eighth above Manchester United and Newcastle. Fulham never quite found the chances to score from. Raheem Sterling’s winning of the penalty divided the teams and Cole Palmer, as ever, took responsibility with a calm conversion. 90+7 min: Silva has sent everyone up. But Chelsea clear it, the ball launched skyward and they’ve won a third Premier League match in succession. Crisis, what crisis? 90+5 min: Fulham free-kick after Decorva Reid is fouled. The bodies are piled in the box. There’s pandemonium as the ball is blocked and the ball bounces everywhere. Madueke tries to break but the ball goes back to Fulham. Muniz robbed as he shapes to shoot. Then Willian is fouled. 90+2 min: Chelsea fail to keep the ball in, and will instead make two subs. Off goes Palmer, and on comes Chukwuemeka. Off goes Malo Gusto and on comes Alfie Gilchrist. What’s it all about, Alfie? 90 min: Five minutes added on as Gallagher and Madueke link and Leno makes a decent save from the latter. Here are the desperate hours for both teams. 89 min: Cairney sends away Willian but the out-ball to Robinson is delayed. Chelsea have the time to collect themselves. Palmer, with a nice piece of skill, almost escapes and then has another chance as Fulham have numbers committed forward. 88 min: Chelsea edge to three points. They have some defending to do first. There are cheers when Fulham concede a free-kick. The home fans are edgy. 86 min: Groans as Chelsea cough up possession, and Muniz is fouled by Colwill as Chelsea try to clear the ball. Free-kick in a dangerous position. Willian the favourite to take it, Palmer as daught excluder and Willian clatters it…over. 84 min: Ooof, Gallagher, using his laces, shoots and spins the ball back off the post. A lovely effort. But one that goes unrewarded. He hasn’t scored yet this season. 83 min: Two more Fulham changes: Muniz and Lukic on, Palhinha and Pereira off. 82 min: Jimenez sees glory and shoots from 60 yards. Passing to Willian seemed the better idea since Petrovic was not off his line. 81 min: There’s something here for Fulham if they want it. Chelsea are looking a tad ragged but then again so are Fulham. Chelsea have a corner. 79 min: Fulham break and it’s stopped by Jimenez being brought down by Thiago Silva. The great man is booked, as is Palmer for kicking it away. 77 min: A happy return for Ben Chilwell, back for the first time since September. He replaces Sterling and immediately receives the captain’s armband from Gallagher. 76 min: Pereira’s free-kick gets a lengthy buildup. But goes over. Disasi is next booked for kicking the ball away. 74 min: Jimenez has another shot, but again not enough purchase to beat Petrovic. Caicedo is then booked for a foul on Willian. Free-kick in a good position for Fulham. 72 min: Petrovic asked to make a save after Pereira centres the ball and Jimenez shoots. But perhaps with not enough gas on it. Thiago Silva had lost his bearings. 70 min: Petrovic hasn’t had much to save, aside from Wilson’s first-half shot and he’s under little pressure as he climbs to claim a looping ball. Madueke sets off down the other end, and wins a corner. 69 min: Another Palmer chance, blocked by Robinson, and then the ball comes across to Colwill galloping on. The defender shoots like a defender often does – it flies over. 68 min: Almost instantly from his new position, Palmer gets a chance. But his shot is blocked. 67 min: Chelsea change: off goes Broja, who was not too effective. Madueke is on, and Cole Palmer moves centrally. 66 min: Chelsea have held their shape well in the second half, it has to be said. Colwill comes across to stop new arrival Decorva Reid in his tracks. 65 min: Those Fulham changes are made: Wilson and Tete off. Dercova Reid and Castagne on. 63 min: Fulham on the attack. Willian scampers across the field but his ball ends up looping into the arms of Petrovic. 61 min: Fulham changes seem imminent. There’s activity on the sideline that doesn’t involve a Hollywood schlock detective series. Or Dua Lipa. 59 min: Twice Chelsea go close. Palmer skips past Robinson and Tete has to clear from Sterling then Palmer himself takes on the shot. Something of Chris Waddle in Palmer? Stringy, not particularly quick but skilful and always looking for something. Perhaps a mullet could complete the comparison. 57 min: Tosin clears as Broja lurks with intent. Cole Palmer’s corner, like the rest, is poor. Enzo is then booked for a scissor/combine harvester tackle on Wilson. Fair call from Anthony Taylor. 55 min: Fulham want a penalty but Disasi has his arms behind his back from Willian’s shot. Then Robinson skates past Palmer but his cross is headed over by Jimenez. Far better from Fulham who give Petrovic the “woaah, you’re …. ah.” Acceptable in the 80s, still quite fun now. 53 min: The ball breaks to Willian but Caicedo does well and begins a fast counter from which Sterling’s header from Palmer’s cross comes off the woodwork. That would have been ruled as an offside. 51 min: Cole Palmer finds space and on his favoured left, but he whips it too wide, and over. Fulham didn’t offer too many of those chances up in the first half. 50 min: Eric Peterson gets in touch: “Good morning from Pittsburgh! So, this is the product of half a season’s work by Mauricio Pochettino with his new charges. Possess with no urgency, give your opponents all the time in the world to set up defensively and frustrate your final attack, and wait for someone to brush gently past Raheem Sterling’s ankle in the penalty area so he can collapse like a Jenga tower. This is not a recipe for long-term success.” Think Eric’s not in the Poch fan club. 49 min: Cairney’s free-kick is cleared and Wilson has to commit a tactical foul on Enzo as Chelsea seek to counter. 48 min: Jimenez is hit with a nasty foul from Thiago Silva. No booking? Seems not. Jimenez seems happy to carry on. He’s had worse. 46 min: Fulham start by getting the ball launched. That causes a Chelsea counter. Sterling, the difference between the teams, is to the fore. The teams are back in the tunnel and on their way out. Chelsea goalie Petrovic has a big smile on his face. Maybe he’s seen Dua Lipa. Half-time reading: Half-time: Chelsea 1-0 Fulham An even half ends with Chelsea getting the break they were desperate for. Sterling’s turn past Diop the one moment they had Fulham on the turn and Cole Palmer’s resultant penalty was a fait accompli. A fifth of the season for Wythenshawe’s finest. Goal! Chelsea 1-0 Fulham (Palmer 45+3 pen) Palmer swaggers up, Leno reads him wrong and the ball is buried. Fulham made to pay for their drop in concentration. Penalty to Chelsea! Sterling skips inside and Diop can only bring him down in the box. 45+1 min: Disasi has to hoik the ball high in the style of Peter Kay after Robinson’s deflected ball into the Chelsea box causes problems. 45 min: Two minutes added on. More Rick Harris to see us through them: “Fernandes is seeing lots of the ball but doing bugger all with it, while Cole Palmer has been shoved out to right wing back and has hardly had a kick. As Palmer has been Chelsea’s most creative player in the first half of the season it seems daft for him not to be in the number 10 position today.” 44 min: Fulham corner. Scrambled behind for another after Wilson takes a swing. Pereira again takes it and Thiago Silva heads away. 43 min: Enzo Fernandez gets space and time to shoot. He misses by miles. The away fans enjoyed that. “What a waste of money” is the chant. 41 min: Thiago Silva concedes a corner, and Pereira will take it. It doesn’t get past the first man. Awful. Fulham win back the ball and Chelsea have some lines to clear. They manage to do so and go on the counter. 39 min: As Willian is treated and applauded, it appears VAR have decided that a yellow is the right call. He carries on, too. Marco Silva not amused, to say the least. 38 min: Cole Palmer jinks and jives but nobody is moving for him. Then Gusto is booked for a heavy challenge on Willian. That’s a clear yellow. VAR having a look? Willian is in an awful lot of pain. 36 min: Robinson and Wilson attack down the left and Fulham force a corner. Willian is clapped by the home fans before Cairney, from a short corner, wastes the territory. 34 min: Chelsea take a moment to try and build an attack. Gusto breaks but his ball to Broja is blocked. It’s not happening just yet. It may not happen at all. 32 min: Another Fulham blockage: Palmer looks for Sterling and Enzo but again, the space is squeezed. The Fulham fans, the A3 massive, are making themselves heard in the Shed End. 30 min: I’ve received a sighting of Dua Lipa at the Bridge, by the way. There’s your headline/photo opp. 28 min: Enzo loses the ball but wins it back from Jimenez, and then Enzo sets up Palmer for a shot that’s blocked. Fulham’s defenders are getting in the way so far. 26 min: Close! Harry Wilson, coming off the back post, gets on the end of a Robinson cross after Willian’s pass. Petrovic reads it well. 25 min: Talking of football, Cole Palmer’s corner is aimed at Gusto but cleared. That sets up a Fulham attack which, on its second phase, sees Pereira shoot and Petrovic make an easy save. 23 min: The flash mob tomfoolery continues. Good thing the team is doing so well. Otherwise, you might say this is a distraction that reflects a lack of focus on football. 22 min: Charlie Bird on tournament signings: “The one that sticks in my mind is West Ham signing Gary Breen because he kept Raul quiet for one game. Calamatous does not even begin to describe his time with us topped off with a comedic display of ineptitude during an utter pasting by Man U.” Remember when Gary Breen was linked with Barcelona? 21 min: Fernandez still prominent, and he digs out a cross to Broja, who heads wide. Better from Chelsea. 19 min: Harry Wilson is down, having taken a knock from Levi Colwill. Meanwhile, that promised Fulham counter almost happens but Thiago Silva reads it so well. He’s all class, isn’t he? 18 min: Rick Harris is full of optimism. And why not? “Chelsea could leap up the table to seventh if they win by 3 clear goals and as they have won 3 out of their last 4 league outings I think there is reason for some optimism at the Bridge today for Blues fans. The PL this season is far more competitive and I think we need to take this into account when criticising so called ‘top teams’ who are ‘underperforming’. I don’t think top 4 is out of reach for Chelsea if they can bring in a new striker, but not sure who they could sign under FFP rules who could make a difference.” 16 min: Dua Lipa yet to be spotted at the Bridge, former home of a football club. Meanwhile, Ryan Bablel has been spotted in the Fulham end. 14 min: Some desperate Fulham defending now. A ball to Sterling to Disasi is cut out. Malo Gusto appears on the overlap, too. Chelsea can commit men forward as Fulham are staying back in numbers. We await a counter. 13 min: Enzo, as we shall call him, is seeing plenty of the ball. No hiding place for him today. 11 min: Fulham are shaping up well, as in holding their shape. Tosin heads away as Broja is edged wide. The ball comes to Enzo, who shoots but another good block. Enzo again attempts a ball through and Tosin again reads it well. Chelsea are pouring forward. 9 min: Fernandez drops deep to be playmaker. It hasn’t quite happened for him at Chelsea, has it? It’s been 12 months now. He was so so good at Qatar 2022 but may soon be the object lesson of never signing a player off a good tournament. See also Amrabat at Manchester United. 7 min: Fulham at last in the Chelsea half. Chelsea defending deep, as they must when Thiago’s in the team. He’s irreplaceable but perhaps problematic, too. 6 min: Chelsea counter, but when the ball is squared for Enzo Fernandez, Cairney is braver and Enzo goes down heavily. Is he hurt? Hurt pride more like. 5 min: Thiago Silva getting time on the ball to bring it out. Fulham looking to the spaces behind him. No high press just yet. We’re told Thiago is Chelsea’s oldest ever outfield player. Next oldest. Er, Graham Rix. 3 min: Cole Palmer will take the free-kick. Gallagher also shapes up for it. Palmer’s kick is too shallow in angle and headed away cleanly. 2 min: Ball aimed for Broja, but cleared. Kenny Tete gets back to defend and a foul on Sterling is called. 1 min: And away we go. Willian, by the way, was applauded by the Chelsea fans. He did a decent job for them. And at Fulham he looks like his old Chelsea self. Chelsea get it underway, with Axel Disasi playing it around the back before Thiago Silva takes it forward. The teams are in the tunnel and Harry J and the All Stars is playing out loud. Conor Gallagher, subject of transfer speculation leads out Chelsea. Tom Cairney does the honours for Fulham. Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino spoke to TNT Sports: “We know that we are going to face a very good side like Fulham, they played very good against Liverpool. Of course it will be tough, we need to deserve to win, we need to perform. We were disappointed after the Middlesbrough defeat but we need to change the mentality and approach the game differently.” Done deal: Chelsea’s David Datro Fofana, 21, has joined Burnley on loan for the rest of the season. He was previously at Union Berlin. Nkunku has looked great when he’s played for Chelsea. But that’s not very often and the rest of the forward line has struggled, to say the least. Good luck finding a striker in January. Ahead of this one, and considering the continental competitions taking place, here’s out weekend digest. For Fulham, Harrison Reed took a knock at Anfield and is benched in favour of Tom Cairney. Kenny Tete replaces Timothy Castagne at left-back and Harry Wilson starts ahead of Bobby De Cordova-Reid. That’s an attacking lineup. Armando Broja, benched at Middlesbrough, leads the attack for Chelsea. Cole Palmer, false No 9 up on Teesside will play out wide. Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka are subs. No Romeo Lavia or Christopher Nkunku. The teams Chelsea: Petrovic, Gusto, Disasi, Thiago Silva, Colwill, Caicedo, Fernandez, Sterling, Palmer, Gallagher, Broja. Subs: Badiashile, Mudryk, Madueke, Bettinelli, Chukwuemeka, Chilwell, Deivid Washington, Gilchrist, Bergstrom. Fulham: Leno, Tete, Adarabioyo, Diop, Robinson, Joao Palhinha, Cairney, Wilson, Andreas Pereira, Willian, Jimenez. Subs: Rodak, Reed, Ream, De Cordova-Reid, Castagne, Lukic, Vinicius, Francois, Rodrigo Muniz. Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire) Hopefully, Poch and Caicedo have now worked out that Brighton did not play Middlesbrough last season. Or that Boro have not beaten a Premier League team this season or last. Preamble The west London derby, the one where Fulham travel elsewhere in Fulham to play Chelsea. Both clubs are coming off midweek Carabao Cup defeats, Fulham with rather more honour than Chelsea. Mauricio Pochettino is under pressure, even if club suits say not. His is the most disjointed squad in a division that contains Manchester United. Fulham, rather more coherent, have a chance of driving further pain into their neighbours. Fulham have won just one of the past 23 Premier League meetings, but it was last January, a 2-1 win at home. Chelsea have not been good at home, and are staring down four matches without a win if they don’t beat the Cottagers. Fulham meanwhile want to avoid a fifth successive away win, and have won away all season. A battle of the hopeless and feckless? Perhaps that makes for high entertainment. Kick-off at 12.30pm. Join me.