Alonso backs error-prone Sanchez after Chelsea goalkeeper gifts Fulham two goals in 3-2 opener

Xabi Alonso publicly backed Robert Sanchez after the Chelsea goalkeeper made two costly errors in the club’s 3-2 Premier League victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday, with pundits immediately calling for a new signing between the posts before the transfer window closes on 1 September.

Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and Morgan Rogers scored to give Alonso a winning start to his Chelsea tenure, but Sanchez was beaten at his near post by Josh King’s low effort and then pushed a shot into the path of Gonzalo Garcia, who headed in the rebound to make it 2-2. The goals reignited long-standing questions about the Spaniard’s reliability, a recurring theme across his three-year, 112-appearance stint at Stamford Bridge since his £20 million move from Brighton.

Alonso, speaking to reporters after the match, declined to single out his goalkeeper. “It’s about the team, it’s not about the individual,” the Chelsea manager said. “The first goal, we can do better to defend, we can do better to avoid, but it’s part of the game. We need to accept and to learn. This is going to be a process. All the lines, from the strikers, the midfielders, the defence, the goalkeepers, we want to do better in everything. The goal was to start good, and we’ve been able to start well. Relax and carry on.”

Despite Alonso’s measured tone, the reaction from the punditry box was sharper. Jamie Carragher said Chelsea “have to sort the goalkeeper issue out because it’s going to come back to haunt them this season, as it did tonight.” Gary Neville went further, suggesting someone of the calibre of Emiliano Martínez should be brought in, warning that Sanchez’s errors “will undermine everything they do.”

Chelsea’s goalkeeping options behind Sanchez offer little immediate comfort. Mike Penders, the 21-year-old Belgian who joined from Genk last summer, was on the bench against Fulham but has yet to make a senior appearance for the club. Filip Jørgensen, who served as back-up last season, has been sent on loan to sister club Strasbourg for 2026-27, leaving the first-choice spot firmly Sanchez’s — at least for now.