João Pedro and Fernández fire Chelsea to win against Fulham after VAR drama

Perhaps the biggest insult for the visitors was that the first half was still going on when Chelsea finally broke through. They were into the ninth minute of added time when João Pedro leapt to make it 1-0 and the Fulham head coach, Marco Silva, began to make peace with the realisation that the footballing Gods were not on his side on an afternoon that offered further proof of how the introduction of technology has made the sport too pedantic, stop-start and open to being warped by blurred lines over subjective calls.

This game completely changed when Josh King, Fulham’s gifted 18-year-old midfielder, had a fine goal disallowed in the 21st minute. It is tiresome to have to talk about refereeing decisions but sometimes there is no other choice. VAR has brought us to this point. We pour over minute details, hunting for infringements, desperately seeking reasons to chalk off goals. Yet there was no major appeal from Chelsea when King scored. Trevoh Chalobah was in a heap at the other end of the pitch after being caught by Rodrigo Muniz but most people saw a good breakaway goal from the visitors.

Muniz had possession and was pirouetting away from Chalobah, who came in from behind to challenge the striker. The justification was a “careless challenge” but how do you challenge when you already have the ball? In any case the bar is surely supposed to be higher for VAR interventions. Clear and obvious? The only thing beyond doubt here was Silva’s rage. It stung that the lengthy check meant that there were eight added minutes at the end of the first half. Fulham cleared a corner in minute eight, only for play to go on. Silva argued that the whistle should have been blown for half-time before Enzo Fernández delivered the next one for João Pedro’s opener.

Fulham, who remain winless in the league, are not enjoying the rub of the green. They were on the wrong side of some refereeing decisions against Manchester United last week. Chelsea, by contrast, have had lucky escapes in their first two home games. They would have lost to Crystal Palace had Marc Guéhi not been penalised for “wall interference” when Eberechi Eze scored a free-kick.

As it is Chelsea have opened their campaign with seven points from three games. They look weary after their exertions at the Club World Cup but Enzo Maresca, who hinted that the possibility of a long lay-off for Liam Delap may force him into the market for another forward, was pleased with his side’s resilience. They survived Delap departing with an early hamstring injury and fought for the victory. João Pedro’s fifth goal for the club lifted the tension before another interminable VAR review at the start of the second half concluded with Fernández making it 2-0 from the penalty spot.

It was a strange occasion. Away from the refereeing, there was also the odd sight of Fernández responding to his assist for João Pedro by shushing the home fans before ripping off the captain’s armband and appearing to throw it at Chelsea’s fitness coach, Marcos Álvarez. Andrey Santos, a direct competitor for Fernández, had been sent out to warm up before the goal. “Enzo is a Club World Cup winner, a World Cup winner,” Maresca said. “When he is not good enough, he can recognise it. In the first half he was not good enough.”

View image in fullscreen Fulham’s Josh King (right) celebrates scoring a goal that was later disallowed for a clash involving Rodrigo Muniz (centre). Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

Chelsea had started the day with a flurry of transfer activity, announcing Christopher Nkunku’s move to Milan and agreeing to send Nicolas Jackson on loan to Bayern Munich. Life moves quickly in these parts. By lunchtime there were jokes about Chelsea rushing Jackson back from Germany to fill in up front. They became a reality within two hours of the final whistle, with Chelsea seeking to cancel the loan move.

Already deprived of the ingenuity of Cole Palmer, there was further concern for Maresca when Delap went off after 14 minutes. A compressed pre-season is having an impact. Levi Colwill is out and Moisés Caicedo is not at top speed.

Chelsea are fighting off fatigue. They adjusted without Palmer, Jackson’s replacements starting together again, João Pedro and Delap combining through the middle. There was another opportunity for Estêvão Willian and the bright young things in attack made a confident start.

Yet the mood changed when Delap hurtled down the left and pulled up with a hamstring injury. Tyrique George, who is expected to leave before the transfer window shuts, came on to play up front. Jamie Gittens, the £48.5m summer signing from Borussia Dortmund, waited his turn. Alejandro Garnacho’s arrival from Manchester United is a good thing; Chelsea suddenly look short of bodies in attack.

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Maresca was not happy with their level during the first half. The action was scrappy but King’s movement and footwork caught the eye at the tip of Fulham’s midfield. The youngster looks like he belongs. There was conviction when he received Sander Berge’s pass, sped away from Tosin Adarabioyo, cut past the former Fulham defender and beat Robert Sánchez with a low finish.

Quick Guide Chelsea 2-0 Fulham key stats Show • Chelsea have won their last six Premier League games kicking off at 12:30 on a Saturday, while Fulham have lost their last five, without scoring a single goal. • Fulham became the sixth side to face a penalty in each of their first three Premier League games in a season, and were the first team to do so since Newcastle in 2021-22. • Timed at 53:56, Chelsea’s opener from João Pedro (pictured) was the latest first-half goal on record (since 2006-07) in a Premier League game. Opta Photograph: John Sibley/REUTERS Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback.

Fulham’s joy was short-lived. Michael Salisbury, the man in Stockley Park, told the referee, Rob Jones, to check the pitchside monitor. Silva erupted. He smirked and shook his head. The travelling fans howled when they saw a replay of Muniz’s challenge. Chelsea were still off the pace, though. Caicedo denied Timothy Castagne after more good work from King.

Gradually, Chelsea built some momentum. George went close as half-time approached. Fernández delivered a corner and João Pedro rose to head home. Fulham screamed daylight robbery. Their indignation grew when Ryan Sessegnon lifted his arms to block Chalobah’s cross in the 50th minute. It was a clear handball. Another long check was required to rule out a foul by João Pedro but the penalty was given and a much happier Fernández made it 2-0. It was not Fulham’s day.

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