Chelsea beat Fulham in Alonso's debut, but goalkeeper doubts linger

Xabi Alonso began his tenure as Chelsea head coach with victory, as his side beat west London rivals Fulham 3-2 in the Premier League. The result was built on a strong display from Chelsea's revamped attacking trio.

Joao Pedro opened the scoring after just 31 seconds, Chelsea's fastest goal since October 2016. After Fulham equalised, record signing Morgan Rogers — who joined for a club-record £117m from Aston Villa — marked his debut with a goal before half-time. Cole Palmer added the third, capping a return to form after 18 months disrupted by injury problems that also cost him a place in England's World Cup squad.

Palmer and Rogers, former Manchester City team-mates, combined effectively throughout the match, with Rogers later describing Palmer as his closest friend in football. Joao Pedro, who was a surprise omission from Brazil's World Cup squad, arrived at the match in strong form and signed a new contract with the club this week.

Goalkeeping concerns

At the other end, Chelsea's defence showed vulnerabilities, with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez making at least two errors that contributed to goals from Josh King and Gonzalo Garcia. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said Chelsea would not win the league with Sanchez in goal, while Gary Neville warned that goalkeeping mistakes could undermine the team's overall progress.

Alonso defended Sanchez after the match, saying the team needed to accept and learn from mistakes and that all areas of the squad had room for improvement. With the transfer window still open, some Chelsea supporters are questioning whether the club needs to sign a new first-choice goalkeeper.