Chelsea ended a run of three Premier League games without a goal by scoring twice inside a minute-and-a-half as they beat west London neighbours Fulham 2-0.
Mykhailo Mudryk ended his long wait for a first Chelsea goal, controlling Levi Colwill’s left-wing cross on his chest and drilling beyond Bernd Leno in the 18th minute.
Skipper Tim Ream was culpable as Fulham conceded again almost immediately, coughing up possession to Cole Palmer before his attempt at a saving tackle ricocheted off Armando Broja and in.
Broja was making his first start of the Premier League season due to suspension for Nicolas Jackson and a virus meaning Raheem Sterling was only fit enough for a place on the bench. He was delighted to grasp his opportunity.
Mudryk added to Pochettino's injury concerns when he made way at the interval after his breakthrough moment, with Ian Maatsen introduced on the left wing.
Fulham vs Chelsea final score
| Fulltime | Goalscorers | |
| FUL | 0 | |
| CHE | 2 | Mudryk '18, Broja '19 |
Lineups:
Fulham (4-2-3-1, right to left): 17. Bernd Leno (GK) — 21. Timothy Castagne, 31. Issa Diop, 13. Tim Ream, 33. Antonee Robinson — 26. Joao Palhinha, 6. Harrison Reed (10. Tom Cairney) — 8. Harry Wilson (22. Alex Iwobi), 18. Andreas Pereira (28. Sasa Lukic), 20. Willian — 7. Raul Jimenez (30. Carlos Vinicius)
Chelsea (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Robert Sanchez (GK) — 3. Marc Cucurella, 2. Axel Disasi, 6. Thiago Silva, 26. Levi Colwill — 25. Moises Caicedo (11. Noni Madueke), 8. Enzo Fernandez (52. Alex Matos) , 23. Conor Gallagher — 20. Cole Palmer, 19. Armando Broja (7. Raheem Sterling), 10. Mykhailo Mudryk (29. Ian Maatsen)
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Maatsen almost added a picturebook third goal when he opened his body to sidefoot against the left-hand post after fine work from the impressive Conor Gallagher.
Fulham substitute Sasa Lukic should have reduced the arrears when he drilled a pass from fellow replacement Tom Cairney straight at Robert Sanchez.
Mauricio Pochettino's men then saw out their second win of the league campaign in relative comfort to move up to 11th in the table.
Pleasure turns to pain for much-maligned Mudryk
Heading into Monday’s match, Ukraine winger Mudryk had ticked passed 1,000 competitive minutes for Chelsea without a goal. If you were to be cruel and divide his €100m transfer fee as such, that’s €100,000 for every goalless minute. Relief was palpable as the 22-year-old left Leno with no chance, opening the scoring with aplomb. From that point, much of the self-doubt and anguish that has cloaked his performances in the Premier League appeared to melt away.
The rough edges remain, but they left Fulham with cuts and bruises here. Right-back Timothy Castagne will have breathed a sigh of relief when Mudryk departed at the break. Pochettino must dearly hope the injury is not serious. He and the player with whom he has been sharing competitive crossbar challenge sessions recently need this to be the start of something. Throw in Broja scoring after battling back from a cruciate knee ligament injury and it was a night of overdue good news stories for Chelsea in 2023.
Available in the US
Mykhailo Mudryk scores for Chelsea! 🇺🇦
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 2, 2023
📺 @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/PHJ3zatQn4
Available in the UK
What a finish from Mykhailo Mudryk! 💥 pic.twitter.com/75MgZTiqAP
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 2, 2023
Can Marc Cucurella play at right-back
If Mudryk is unfortunate enough to have become the symbol of Chelsea’s scattergun spending under Todd Boehly’s ownership, then Cucurella must run him close. A hero at Brighton, the Spanish left-back has been hapless at Stamford Bridge. Having played a grand total of zero Premier League minutes under Pochettino before tonight, the 25-year-old being chucked in out of position at right-back felt like an accident waiting to happen.
However, having had a practice against his former club in the Carabao Cup, Cucurella stuck to his task and carried it out with distinction. His positional awareness — not exactly viewed as one of his strengths — particularly stood out and playing on the wrong side rarely looked like a struggle. Once Reece James and Malo Gusto are available again, Cucurella won’t be spending any more time at right-back, but he negotiated a hospital pass created by an injury crisis to suggest he just might have a future at Chelsea.
Fulham vs Chelsea as it happened, highlights, and commentary
Fulltime: Three points and plenty of positives for Pochettino. Mudryk scored an actual goal, Gallagher was excellent as Fernandez and Palmer also caught the eye. Fulham gave it a go after halftime and Sasa Lukic really should have pulled a goal back to set up a grandstand finish. Ultimately, Marco Silva's side got what they deserved after a truly insipid first 45 minutes. Thanks for joining us.
90th minute+4: Ouch! Caicedo scampers back to thwart Willian but it looks like the duo bash knees together. They're both down. Alex Matos comes on for a Premier League debut in place of Fernandez and Noni Madueke replaces the hobbling Caicedo.
90th minute+1: There will be five added minutes. That Lukic miss really took the wind out of what was starting to look like a Fulham revival. Chelsea are cruising to three much-needed points.
89th minute: Chelsea fans in the away end bouncing about and having a rare old time. Fernandez, who along with Gallagher and Palmer has caught the eye in the creative midfield positions, looks to slide a pass through to Sterling that Leno collects.
84th minute: Chelsea fans know all about how sweetly Willian can strike them from distance. He glides in from the left and lets fly. The ball is travelling but Sanchez sees it all the way.
83rd minute: Caicedo is down with cramp. Pochettino could be tempted into another change.
77th minute: Huge save from Sanchez! The Chelsea goalkeeper has had very little to do but Fulham really should have reduced the deficit there. Cairney, who has been bright since coming on, slots a fine pass to fellow substitute Lukic. He's six yards out. Pick your spot! Lukic hammers it straight at the visiting keeper.
76th minute: Chelsea hack clear from Fulham's latest foray down their left flank, with Cucurella doing well to avoid bringing down Robinson. The left-back has adjusted well to playing on the opposite side tonight.
68th minute: One of Sterling's first involvements is to get booked for having a shot after the whistle had gone. The Chelsea winger claims he did not hear said whistle form the referee and is fairly disgruntled.
65th minute: Broja took a bit of a knock in that attack and Pochettino decides there's no need to further risk a young attacker on the comeback trail. On comes Sterling.
63rd minute: Against the post from Maatsen! Almost a picturebook first Premier League goal for the youngster. Gallagher is prominently involved in a fine move that ends with Maatsen opening up his body and spearing a side-footed effort against the upright. Leno had given that one up.
62nd minute: Reed gets into a good position down the right wing and that's lovely cross. Vinicius gets up but his jump is slightly miss-timed. The header flies over, although it's undeniable that the Brazilian has injected some much-needed urgency to this Fulham performance.
58th minute: Almost an hour in and a derby might be breaking out. Vinicius clouts Silva on the upper back with his forearm, then shoves the veteran defender when he's on the floor. The substitute is booked and a VAR check decides there's no need for further punishment. Pereira booked for dissent too. Calm down, everyone!
56th minute: Robinson gets forward on the overlap for Fulham and it's a good ball to the far post. Iwobi meets it on the volley with neither a shot or a cross. Sanchez mops up.
55th minute: Palmer, who is revelling in increased license to roam during this second half, wins possession, tests Leno with a curling shot from 25 yards. He might need to dial down the eagerness a little, though, as a clumsy foul brings a booking.
53rd minute: Double change for Fulham. Jimenez, who has resided somewhere beyond the periphery of this game, is replaced up front by Vinicius. Iwobi is on for Wilson.
48th minute: More assured play from Palmer, who digs out a cross for Broja. It's a touch too high and the striker heads over.
46th minute: We're back underway and there's another injury blow for Chelsea. Mudryk has not emerged for the second period, with Maatsen on in his place.
Halftime: Well, the world certainly looks a lot rosier than it did 45 minutes ago for Mauricio Pochettino. Chelsea's deserved 2-0 lead will remain safe if Fulham maintain their commitment to not having any shots. It sounded like there was a smattering of boos from the home fans at Craven Cottage, which isn't usually the vibe here. See you in 10 or so.
45th minute+2: Colwill is enjoying himself at left-back, as you would if a Premier League defence allowed you to saunter unchallenged into their penalty area. That's what Fulham do here before Broja is dispossessed by the corner of the six-yard box.
45th minute: There'll be two minutes of stoppage time before what you'd expect will be an unsparing debrief from Fulham boss Marco Silva. His team have been nowhere.
42nd minute: Mudryk darts menacingly in off the left flank and Castagne is in bother. Palhinha comes back to help out, fouls the Ukraine winger and gets booked. Mudryk floats in the set piece and Disasi is caught offside from the second ball.
37th minute: Ooohhhh, could be 3-0. Again it's far too easy for Chelsea to cut through what passes for the home defence. Broja cuts a beauty of a ball across the six-yard box but there's no one there. Always a risk when the No. 9 is the guy making the cutback, I guess.
35th minute: 10 minutes until the interval and Fulham are yet to have a shot of any description.
28th minute: Fulham are all over the place at the back. Diop aimlessly passes into midfield and Fernandez is onto it. He produces a gorgeous ball with the outside of his foot to find Palmer. The England Under-21 star is crowded out but Ream's clearance goes straight to Fernandez, who shoots over.
27th minute: Confidence suddenly coursing through Mudryk. It looks a bit odd, in truth. He's past Castagne in a flash to cutback from a dangerous area. Leno reads it to pouch the ball.
24th minute: Castagne looks to get something going for Fulham down the Chelsea left but back comes Mudryk to make two meaty tackles. He's absolutely bouncing now.
19th minute: GOOOOOAAAALLLLLL!!!!!! Armando Broja!!!
Stick in your own (west) London buses joke. Fulham kickoff from going 1-0 behind and implode. It's a moment for Ream to forget as he coughs up possession to Palmer. The USA defender tries to retrieve the situation but only succeeds in playing the ball against Broja for it to ricochet past Leno.
Available in the UK
Blink and you'll miss it as Chelsea make it 2-0! 2️⃣
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 2, 2023
What a start! 😲 pic.twitter.com/mFRDqyhlV8
18th minute: GOOOOOAAAALLLLLL!!!!!! Mykhailo Mudryk!!!
Chelsea deserve that and there is palpable relief for their misfiring Ukraine winger. Disasi starts the move with a raking ball out to Colwill. His ball into the box is that of a seasoned left-back. Diop is caught ball-watching and Mudryk steals in to smash his first Chelsea goal beyond Leno.
12th minute: Lovely turn in midfield from Gallagher, who finds Palmer to make light of Robinson's defensive efforts. Fulham manage to crowd out Gallagher and prevent him from converting the return pass. It's been bright start from Chelsea.
10th minute: Some neat play from Palmer, receiving play from Sanchez inside his own half, gets Chelsea moving. Fernandez surges forward and finds Mudryk, who cuts inside to fire well over from the edge of the box.
5th minute: Fulham work a free-kick about 40 yards from goal then ends with Reed booting the ball out for a goalkick. One best left on the training ground.
2nd minute: Oh, Armando Broja what have you done?! Almost a dream introduction to the Chelsea lineup as the striker collects a loose back from his initial pass to Mudryk and rounds Leno. As a cluster of Fulham players dash back towards their own goalmouth he clatters over. The offside flag goes up to spare him, but it would have been nice to be able to ask VAR the question.
1st minute: We're off and Fulham attack the left-hand side of the Chelsea defence. How do you like your new position, Levi? Reed and Wilson are prominently involved before the danger is snuffed out.
4 mins to KO: Here come the teams after an evening light show at Craven Cottage. Not sure that works at this lovely old ground. Is nothing sacred anymore?
10 mins to KO: Mark Scholes is the man in the VAR chair this evening. After this weekend's caper, all the very best to him.
30 mins to KO: This will be only Broja's third Premier League start for Chelsea and comes after a long injury layoff. The Albania international suffered a cruciate ligament injury during a friendly against Aston Villa in Abu Dhabi last December. The 22-year-old has a grand total of 14 first-team minutes to his name this season and Pochettino made it fairly clear in his pre-match interview that Sterling would be starting if fully fit. Nevertheless, given Chelsea's current woes in front of goal it represents a huge opportunity.
50 mins to KO: This is what the Fulham team looks like. One change from last weekend, with Harry Wilson in for Bobby De Cordova-Reid.
Our SW6 Derby XI! 🚨#FULCHE pic.twitter.com/BHcyvkyMId
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) October 2, 2023
1 hr to KO: The teams are in. Cole Palmer gets a full Chelsea debut in a forward line where Armando Broja is a surprise inclusion. Pochettino has explained that Raheem Sterling has been suffering from a virus over the past few days, which is why the England winger is only on the bench.
Your Chelsea tonight! 🔵@ParimatchUK | #FulChe pic.twitter.com/S1w9ArutnO
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 2, 2023
1 hr 20 mins to KO: Fulham enjoyed themselves in this local affair last season. They won the corresponding fixture at Craven Cottage 2-1, a game best remembered for Joao Felix getting sent off on his Chelsea debut. Marco Silva's men also held out for a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.
1 hr 45 mins to KO: So, Chelsea then. What on earth to make of it all? Mauricio Pochettino's team have won the xG in all of their Premier League games so far this season (the real quiz...) but have won one of them. They ended a run of three games without a goal in the 1-0 Carabao Cup win over Brighton but, would you believe it, their goalscorer that night Nicolas Jackson is suspended for this trip to Fulham because he gets booked more often than he finds the net. Pochettino has been talking about long-term projects, bowls of lemons and beating Mykhailo Mudryk at the crossbar challenge. This is all tremendous content, but you suspect they have to start stringing wins together fairly soon.
2 hours to KO: Hello and welcome to the Sporting News' live coverage of Fulham versus Chelsea in the Premier League.
A short away trip to Craven Cottage. Let’s go! 🫡 #FulChe pic.twitter.com/QRAx1jxbWO
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 2, 2023
MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with Fubo in USA
Fulham vs Chelsea lineups, team news
Fulham were victorious in the Carabao Cup last time out but a 2-1 win against Norwich City appeared to come at a price as Calvin Bassey suffered a recurrence of a back. The former Rangers man shook that off to take a place on the bench.
Harry Wilson replaces Bobby De Cordova-Reid in the only change to the XI that drew 0-0 at Crystal Palace.
Fulham lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Leno (GK) — Castagne, Diop, Ream, Robinson — Palhinha, Reed — Wilson, Pereira, Willian — Jimenez
England left-back Ben Chilwell (hamstring) suffered his latest injury setback in the win over Brighton, meaning Chelsea's defence is set to have an even more makeshift look. Marc Cucurella starts at right-back, with central defender Levi Colwill deputising for Chilwell.
Nicolas Jackson is also suspended due to accumulating five yellow cards in quick time, meaning a surprise start for Armando Broja at centre-forward. Raheem Sterling is on the bench after suffering with a virus ove recent days.
Chelsea lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Sanchez (GK) — Cucurella, Disasi, Silva, Colwill — Caicedo, Fernandez, Gallagher — Palmer, Broja, Mudryk
Fulham vs Chelsea live stream, TV channel
This Premier League clash takes place at the Craven Cottage in London, UK and kicks off on Monday, October 2 at 8 p.m. local time.
Below are the corresponding times, TV channels, and live streams to watch the match in regions around the world
IN CANADA: Watch this match in 4k on Fubo Canada (on 4k devices)
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | USA Network, Universo | Fubo, NBC app/website |
| Canada | — | |
| UK | Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League | Sky GO, Now TV |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| India | Star Sports Select 1 | Hotstar VIP, JioTV |
| Hong Kong | Now Premier League 1 (Ch.620-621) | Now TV |
| Malaysia | Astro SuperSport 3 | Astro Go, sooka |
| Singapore | Hub Premier 1 (Ch. 221) | StarHub TV+ |
| New Zealand | — | Sky Sport NOW |
UK: Fulham vs. Chelsea will be available for live broadcast and streaming via Sky Sports services.
USA: This game is available on USA Network and can be live streamed on Fubo, with Spanish-language options via Universo, which is available to Fubo subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via Fubo in Canada.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.
