Palmer shines as Chelsea edge Fulham in Alonso debut win
If football is won in both boxes, it seems as though Chelsea have one far better covered than the other.
Xabi Alonso began his Stamford Bridge reign with an entertaining 3-2 Premier League win at west London rivals Fulham on Monday – and their new-look front three stole the show.
Morgan Rogers, making his debut after his club record £117m summer move from Aston Villa, combined with Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro to produce a devastating attacking display.
All three scored, with Palmer in particular looking back to his best after a difficult year hampered by injuries, culminating in his omission from England's World Cup squad.
At the other end, though, questions remain over goalkeeper Robert Sanchez after two errors contributed to Fulham's goals from Josh King and Gonzalo Garcia.
Alonso said his front three needed to "lead the rest" so that the "other ones will follow".
But Sanchez has some catching up to do – and when asked about his mistakes, Alonso could only stress the collective responsibility of the 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."
After the match, ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher – a former team-mate of Alonso – 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 would they "will never win the league with Sanchez in goal".
Palmer shines as Alonso begins Chelsea reign with win at Fulham
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It took Joao Pedro just 31 seconds to open the scoring, latching on to a pass from Palmer and lifting his shot over Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno for Chelsea's fastest goal since October 2016.