Rogers scores on debut as Chelsea edge Fulham 3-2 in Xabi Alonso's winning first game

Morgan Rogers scored on his Chelsea debut as Xabi Alonso’s side edged Fulham 3-2 in a Premier League west London derby at Craven Cottage on Monday, giving the new manager a winning start in his first game in charge.

The £117 million signing from Aston Villa netted Chelsea’s second goal to restore the lead before half-time, combining fluidly with Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro despite the trio playing together for the first time. Joao Pedro had given Chelsea the lead after just 31 seconds, before a Robert Sanchez error allowed Josh King to equalise. Rogers then put the Blues back in front, and Palmer added a third.

The win was not without concern, however. Sanchez was at fault again as Fulham debutant Gonzalo Garcia pulled one back, and Chelsea were made to work for the three points in a shaky defensive display. Pundit Jamie Carragher was blunt in his assessment of the goalkeeper: “Chelsea will never win the league with Sanchez in goal. Impossible. It can’t happen.”

Rogers, who had not played a competitive game since England’s World Cup third-place victory over France five weeks earlier, was encouraged by his own performance but insisted he has more to offer.

“Coming to a new team, you don’t want to come in sluggish and off the pace, so I tried to keep myself in the best shape as possible and I’ve tried to get up to speed as quickly as I can,” he said. “I still think there are more gears to go, and I’ve got to try and find them as quickly as possible because the games are coming thick and fast. But I felt good out there and I enjoyed it.”

Rogers also praised the collective effort in a difficult away fixture. “I thought the quality of our play was excellent and it was so enjoyable out there. Fulham is a difficult place to come to, and they played really well, but we had that fight, that grit and I think we were the better team on the night.”

Alonso’s attacking intent was evident throughout, with the Rogers-Palmer-Joao Pedro combination hinting at Chelsea’s potential going forward. The defensive frailties, and Sanchez’s continued errors in particular, will be the more pressing issue for the new head coach to address.