At Stamford Bridge on 30/8, both teams were evenly matched for most of the game, except for a period at the start of the second half when Chelsea increased the tempo. This period of pressure resulted in six shots on target for Chelsea, double that of Fulham.

One of those shots was a header from new signing Joao Pedro, assisted by Enzo Fernandez from a corner kick. Notably, the goal was scored in the 45+9th minute, despite only eight minutes of added time being officially indicated.

Forward Joao Pedro (right) celebrates his opening goal at Stamford Bridge, London, England on 30/8. Photo: Reuters

Forward Joao Pedro (right) celebrates his opening goal at Stamford Bridge, London, England on 30/8. Photo: Reuters

This goal, along with a disallowed goal in the first half, frustrated Fulham's manager, Marco Silva, who confronted referee Robert Jones as the teams headed into halftime. Mr. Jones, after consulting VAR, had ruled that Rodrigo Muniz fouled Trevor Chalobah before Joshua King's shot found the back of the net.

VAR was again called into action early in the second half for a handball incident in the Fulham penalty area. The ball struck Joao Pedro's arm and then Ryan Sessegnon's. Mr. Jones determined there was no foul by the Chelsea forward, awarding a penalty to the home side. Enzo Fernandez converted the penalty, marking his second Premier League game with both a goal and an assist.

Chelsea controlled the pace for the remainder of the match, ceding possession to Fulham, who struggled to create opportunities against goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. The match ended in a 2-0 victory for Enzo Maresca's side.

This result temporarily puts Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table with seven points. However, the victory came at a cost, with Liam Deap suffering a hamstring injury and leaving the field after just 14 minutes.

Vy Anh