It was a game of two halves at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea largely on top and in control during a slow-burn of a first half. That opening 45 minutes was brought to life by Palmer, who weaved his way through Fulham's midfield before producing a perfect finish to give us the lead.

That was Palmer's 26th Premier League goal in 2024, breaking Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's club record, which had stood since 2001. We came close to extending our advantage, with Levi Colwill having a header ruled out for offside, while Bernd Leno produced excellent saves to deny Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella.

Instead, Fulham were able to come into the game more as it went on, before two late goals from close range by substitutes Harry Wilson and Rodrigo Muniz turned the game around and condemned Chelsea to our first loss in any competition since our Carabao Cup exit to Newcastle United in October.

The selection

There was just the solitary change to the starting line-up which drew away at Everton, as Marc Cucurella returned after serving a one-game suspension. He resumed his usual role on the left of our defence, with Malo Gusto shifting back to the right. Tosin Adarabioyo and Levi Colwill continued at centre-back, Axel Disasi the defender to make way.

The rest of the starting XI was unchanged, Robert Sanchez continuing between the posts and Enzo Fernandez captaining the team alongside Moises Caicedo in midfield. Nicolas Jackson led the attack, supported by Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho.

Before kick-off, Chelsea paid tribute to goalkeeping coach and former keeper Hilario, who was at Stamford Bridge for the last time before his long association with the club comes to an end when he joins the England national team’s coaching staff. The No40 shirt he wore during his playing days was hanging proudly in the home changing room in his honour.

Taking time to heat up

However, the focus was firmly on the Blues on the pitch once Fulham got this Boxing Day fixture under way.

It was a fairly quiet opening to the game, with the first 10 minutes passing without much in the way of action at either end. What early threat there was came down either team’s left side, with Adama Traore having to be carefully watched by Gusto, while Sancho and Cucurella began to combine well for the home side.

The first real involvement for either keeper came from an ambitious long-range effort by Raul Jimenez, which Sanchez gathered with ease.

Cole’s Christmas cracker

Moments later, the Fulham keeper was picking the ball out of the back of his net, though. What had been a pretty quiet game so far was suddenly sparked into life by a moment of brilliance from Palmer, not for the first time this season.

There didn’t seem to be much danger when Cole received the ball from Colwill just outside the centre-circle, but a spin away from one Fulham defender and a sidestep past another, and the threat was clear. It still needed some incredible composure by Palmer to finish it off, though, as he calmly rolled a shot through Issa Diop’s legs and into the bottom-left corner.

That seemed to rattle Fulham, with a few loose passes at the back following the opening goal, and Palmer was probably disappointed not to take advantage to get a second almost straight away, but this time his finish was under-hit after combining with Jackson in the box.

Looking for a second

There was another moment of Cole brilliance, with a nutmeg and curling shot on the edge of the box, but Bernd Leno was able to save and hold, before things began to quiet down again for a period. It was an unlikely Fulham player who nearly rivaled Palmer’s moment of excellence, as centre-back Calvin Bassey somehow carried the ball fully half the length of the pitch before forcing a good low save from Sanchez.

But Chelsea remained on top. For a second it looked like Cucurella had marked his return with a goal to extend our lead, when he met a deft Palmer free-kick with a low diving header, but Leno got down to save and the loose ball was hacked clear by Fulham. With little more in the way of goalmouth action, that ensured our advantage remained at a single goal going into the half-time break.

We came out for the second half on the front foot, looking to create some breathing room with a second goal quickly. However, our initial efforts were thwarted by first Leno, who tipped a curling Ferandez shot over the bar, and then the linesman, whose flag went up for a clear offside as Colwill headed in a Palmer cross.

At the other end, Iwobi fired just wide of the top corner, beyond the dive of Sanchez, as the second half began with a much more lively feel than the first. That gave the visitors a bit of encouragement and the atmosphere lifted at both ends of the Bridge.

We had some defending to do in a much more even period of the game, mostly from crosses into the box, but Tosin was having a great game against his former club, as he and Colwill continued to prove equal to anything Fulham could deliver.

Tension building

On the first occasion Fulham did manage to bypass our central defenders, when Andreas Pereira ghosted in at the back post to bring a deep cross under control, Sanchez was there to rush off his line and make himself big to save at close range.

At the other end, Jackson called Leno into action again at the end of a quick counter, started by a brilliant sliding challenge from Caicedo in midfield, as both teams pushed in search of the crucial second goal in this match. It was starting to feel close, despite Jimenez slicing a half-volley into the top tier of the Shed End.

Late turnaround

Both teams made substitutions to that end, with Christopher Nkunku being introduced for Chelsea, and as we entered the final 10 minutes it was beginning to feel a bit tense for both teams. The tension, and the importance of a goal for either side, was only increasing as the minutes ticked away.

Unfortunately, when the next goal arrived, it went the way of Fulham. Iwobi's cross from the left was headed back across goal by Castagne and met by the Cottagers' own sub Wilson, who headed in off the base of the post from close range, giving Sanchez no chance.

We pushed again, this time aiming to retake the lead. It looked like we might do so, just before entering six added minutes, when Neto crossed dangerously from the right. However, Cucurella's header was blocked in a crowded penalty area and Leno did well to push away Fernandez's first-time follow-up.

Instead, it was the visitors who got a second, deep into stoppage time. It came on a quick counter by Fulham, catching us short on numbers as we looked for a winner of our own. It looked dangerous as soon as Wilson released Sasa Lukic down the right, and those fears were realised when another sub, Muniz, turned in the low cross to deny us a share of the spoils and end our 12-game unbeaten run.

What is next

The busy festive football schedule continues, as we take to the pitch in the Premier League again in four days' time. That match sees us away at Ipswich Town for our first visit to Portman Road since 2002, with kick-off at 7.45pm on Monday 30 December.

The teams

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez (c); Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson (Nkunku 74)
Unused subs: Bettinelli, Jorgensen, Acheampong, Disasi, Casadei, George, Joao Felix, Guiu
Scorer: Palmer 16
Booked: Neto 59

Fulham (3-4-3): Leno; Diop, Andersen, Bassey; Castagne, Lukic, Pereira (Cairney 74), Robsinon (c); Iwobi (Sessegnon 90+3), Jimenez (Muniz 74), Traore (Wilson 67)
Unused subs: Benda, Cuenca, King, Godo, Vinicius
Scorers: Wilson 82, Muniz 90+5
Booked: Lukic 34, Andersen 38, Robinson 90+1

Referee: Sam Barrott

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