Fulham claimed local bragging rights with a hard-fought 2-1 Premier League victory over Chelsea at Craven Cottage, producing a performance full of intensity and belief. The result followed pre-match warnings from SoftFootball about Fulham’s resilience at home, with Marco Silva’s side proving difficult to break down once again against a Chelsea team struggling for consistency on the road.
The hosts carried confidence from their recent late draw against Liverpool, another sign of their growing composure in big moments, and that belief showed early. Harry Wilson tested Robert Sánchez inside the opening minutes, setting the tone for a lively contest.
Chelsea responded through Enzo Fernández corners that caused chaos, including an effort that saw Andrey Santos hit the bar, but Fulham gradually seized control of the midfield battle. The game swung decisively in the 22nd minute when Marc Cucurella was sent off.
The Chelsea defender hauled down Wilson after the winger raced onto a long ball from Bernd Leno, denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. Despite Chelsea protests, VAR upheld the straight red card, forcing the visitors to reshuffle and defend deep for long spells.
Fulham thought they had taken the lead just before halftime when Wilson finished clinically, only for VAR to rule it out due to Raúl Jiménez being offside in the build-up. Undeterred, Silva’s men came out strongly after the break and were rewarded in the 55th minute.
Raúl Jiménez powered home a header from Sander Berge’s teasing cross, finally giving Fulham the breakthrough their pressure deserved. Chelsea showed character despite their numerical disadvantage and found an equaliser in the 72nd minute.
A Pedro Neto corner was flicked onto the post by Antonee Robinson, and Liam Delap reacted quickest to tap in his first Premier League goal for the club, briefly swinging momentum the visitors’ way. Fulham, however, refused to settle for a point.
Sustained pressure told in the 81st minute when Harry Wilson struck from inside the box, his effort taking a slight deflection off Reece James before nestling into the corner. The goal sparked wild celebrations and underlined Fulham’s persistence.
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The win shared on the club’s official X account lifts Fulham to eighth place, extending their unbeaten league run, while Chelsea remain fifth but under growing pressure after another frustrating away outing. With Liam Rosenior watching from the stands ahead of his official takeover, the Blues were left with more questions than answers after a bruising west London derby.
