Palmer penalty earns Chelsea all three points

Cole Palmer's first-half penalty was enough for Chelsea to secure all three points at home to Fulham.

Chelsea fans were expecting a much-improved performance from their side after midweek Carabao Cup first-leg defeat to Championship side Middlesbrough.

And the Blues were on top for the majority of the first half, although Fulham had the biggest chance when Antonee Robinson's cross from the left found Harry Wilson at the far post. The Welsh international managed to get his effort on target but it was fired directly at Djordje Petrovic.

For all their possession dominance, Chelsea were struggling to find the final ball to break Fulham down but that was helped just seconds before the halftime whistle when a good move by the hosts ended with Issa Diop bringing Raheem Sterling down in the area.

Andrew Taylor had no choice but to point to the penalty spot and Cole Palmer dutifully dispatched his effort, sending Bernd Leno the wrong way.

Chelsea continued to boss most of the second half but struggled to find a way of killing off the game.

As the minutes ticked on, Fulham grew in confidence and started to show some attacking threat in the final 20 minutes of the game.

In the 73rd minute, Petrovic was required to make a strong save from Raúl Jiménez after a ball from the left from Andreas Pereira.

With some better decision-making, Fulham probably could have got themselves back into it but they weren't helped when Jiménez decided to lob Petrovic from the halfway line instead of feeding the ball into William.

Conor Gallagher came closest to killing off the game for Chelsea when his effort with the outside of his right boot rattled the post.

Fulham earned a series of late free-kicks in stoppage time that Mauricio Pochettino's side struggled to defend but they ultimately deserved the three points that sees them move up to eighth in the Premier League table.

xG: Chelsea (2.24) 1-0 (1.02) Fulham

Four home #PL wins on the bounce! 🫡#CFC | #CheFul pic.twitter.com/7XIknEdZQV

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 13, 2024