Joao Pedro needed just 31 seconds to put Chelsea ahead at Craven Cottage on Monday. It was Chelsea's fastest Premier League goal since October 2016, and it set the tone for what followed.
Chelsea won 3-2, with all three goals coming from their new-look front three. Morgan Rogers, who joined from Aston Villa in a club-record £117 million summer move, scored on his debut. Cole Palmer added a third. New manager Xabi Alonso had his first Premier League win at Stamford Bridge, though it came with a warning attached.
According to BBC Sport, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez made two errors that directly led to Fulham's goals, scored by Josh King and Gonzalo Garcia. Sanchez kept Chelsea from a clean sheet and immediately drew scrutiny. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports that Palmer, Rogers and Joao Pedro are "as good as anything in the Premier League right now." He also said they "will never win the league with Sanchez in goal."
Alonso did not single out Sanchez after the match. He stressed that responsibility belongs to the whole team. "We need to accept and learn from them [the mistakes]," said the Spaniard. "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."
He had said before kickoff that the front three needed to "lead the rest" so that the "other ones will follow." They delivered. Rogers tapped in from close range before halftime. Palmer, who had set up Pedro for the opener, then scored Chelsea's third himself.
Palmer had endured a difficult 18 months. A groin problem disrupted his first season, and he was left out of England's World Cup squad after struggling to regain his best form. On Monday, he looked like a different player. He matched his entire assist total from last Premier League season in a single match. He also moved to within two goals of 50 in the Premier League.
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville called Palmer sensational on Sky Sports. Palmer himself pointed to the summer as the reason for his return to form. "Over the summer I rested, I recharged and, yeah, I'm ready and I'm hungry," he told Sky Sports.
During Chelsea's pre-season tour of Australia, Palmer had spoken about having a point to prove. He acknowledged that a long break felt strange after appearing in major international tournaments in each of the previous three summers. The hunger he described showed at Craven Cottage.
The question now is whether Chelsea can sustain this over a full season. Alonso's attacking options look deep and dangerous. Rogers cost a club record fee. Palmer, when healthy, is among the best in the division. Joao Pedro finished a clinical opener inside the first minute. But Sanchez's errors were not minor. Both of Fulham's goals came directly from mistakes by the goalkeeper, and Carragher's comment was blunt. Chelsea will face tougher opponents than Fulham, and a goalkeeper who can give the back line confidence will matter as the season goes on.
