82 joyous first-half seconds went a long way toward easing tensions and giving Mauricio Pochettino some peace of mind, as Chelsea triumphed over Fulham in a cathartic 2-0 victory in the west London derby on Monday.
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The victory is only Chelsea’s second of the Premier League season and snaps a three-game winless skid (0W-1D-2L), though NBC Sports’ PL inside David Ornstein reported before the game the Pochettino was not yet under pressure to save his job. With eight points from their first seven game, Chelsea now sit 11th in the table, just one place and one point behind Manchester United.
Mykhailo Mudryk opened the scoring in the 18th minute, when he got on the end of a brilliant ball from Levi Colwill on the left wing. Colwill picked out the Ukraine international with a sensational pass to the top of the penalty area, where Mudryk chested it down and coolly applied the left-footed finish to claim his first goal (in his 24th appearance - all competitions) for Chelsea.
Barely a minute later, 1-0 became 2-0 as Armando Broja bagged his first goal since returning from a torn ACL nearly a year ago. The entire sequence was rather fortunate for Chelsea, with Tim Ream passing the ball to Cole Palmer inside Fulham’s defensive third, and then pinging his attempted clearance off the top of Broja’s outstretched foot. At full speed it looked a fantastic finish by Broja, who will gladly claim the goal regardless.
Only a matter of time, and finally…
Heading into matchweek 7, Chelsea ranked 6th in xG (11.5) in the PL, yet their five goals scored put them 15th out of 20 sides. Given all of the money spent to assemble their squad (and its presumed quality), it was only a matter of time before the Blues broke out of their scoring slump and felt the sweet, sweet relief of leading for just the second time all season.
That the goals came just 82 seconds apart, and were scored by two very maligned figures in Mudryk and Broja, was simply the icing on the cake for Pochettino, the most relieved and thankful of them all. Until more of Chelsea’s stars recover from various injuries and return to the team, both Mudryk and Broja will be given ample opportunity to stake claim to a place in the team going forward.
Player ratings - Fulham vs Chelsea
Fulham vs Chelsea, final score: 0-2
Goalscorers: Mykhailo Mudryk (18'), Armando Broja (19')
18th minute — GOAL — Mykhailo Mudryk scores his long-awaited first Chelsea goal
19th minute — GOAL — Armando Broja makes it two goals in 82 seconds
How to watch Fulham vs Chelsea live, stream link, time
Kickoff: 3 pm ET, Monday (Oct. 2)
TV: USA Network
Online: Watch online via NBCSports.com
Fulham starting lineup
Our SW6 Derby XI! 🚨#FULCHE pic.twitter.com/BHcyvkyMId
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) October 2, 2023
Focus on Fulham, injury news
OUT: Adama Traore (hamstring), Tosin Adarabioyo (undisclosed) | QUESTIONABLE: Kenny Tete (undisclosed)
Chelsea starting lineup
Your Chelsea tonight! 🔵@ParimatchUK | #FulChe pic.twitter.com/S1w9ArutnO
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 2, 2023
Focus on Chelsea, injury news
OUT: Reece James (hamstring), Nicolas Jackson (suspension), Christopher Nkunku (knee), Ben Chilwell (hamstring), Romeo Lavia (ankle), Wesley Fofana (torn ACL), Benoit Badiashile (hamstring), Malo Gusto (suspension), Marcus Bettinelli (undisclosed) | QUESTIONABLE: Noni Madueke (undisclosed), Trevoh Chalobah (hamstring), Carney Chukwuemeka (knee)