The first match of Liam Rosenior at the helm of Chelsea turned into a painful ordeal, as the Blues were forced to battle adversity almost from the outset. Disaster struck midway through the first half when Marc Cucurella was shown a red card for a reckless challenge, leaving his new head coach facing an immediate and brutal test.

Despite being reduced to ten men, Chelsea refused to collapse. Rosenior’s side showed character and resilience, responding well after conceding the opening goal and managing to pull themselves level. For a moment, it seemed the visitors might salvage something from a chaotic evening.

However, numerical disadvantage eventually took its toll. The pressure mounted, the gaps began to appear, and Chelsea were ultimately beaten — a result that summed up a frustrating and turbulent night at the office.

The defeat extends Chelsea’s winless run to five matches, a worrying statistic for a club with title ambitions. As the gap grows between the Blues and the leading contenders in the Premier League title race, the sense of uncertainty around Stamford Bridge continues to intensify.

2025-26, England - Premier League

Fulham - Chelsea 2:1 (0:0)
Goals: Raul Jimenez, 55 (1:0); Delap, 72 (1:1); Wilson H., 81 (2:1)

Fulham: Leno; Andersen J.; Cuenca J. (Kevin, 46); Castagne; Diop I.; Robinson A. (Sessegnon R., 73); Cairney (Lukic, 73); Berge; Smith Rowe (Reed H., 83); Raul Jimenez; Wilson H. (Traoré Ad., 90)
Substitution: Kevin (from 46); Lukic (from 73); Sessegnon R. (from 73); Reed H. (from 83); Traoré Ad. (from 90)
Bench: Lecomte; Kusi-Asare
Yellow Cards: Cuenca J. 45; Castagne 78; Raul Jimenez 90

Chelsea: Sanchez Ro.; Adarabioyo; Chalobah; Gusto (Acheampong J. K., 76); Cucurella (till 22); Fernandez E. (James R., 65); Palmer Co. (João Pedro, 75); Andrey Santos (Hato, 28); Caicedo M.; Pedro Neto; Delap
Substitution: Hato (from 28); James R. (from 65); João Pedro (from 75); Acheampong J. K. (from 76)
Bench: Jörgensen F.; Fofana W.; Bynoe-Gittens; Estêvão; Garnacho
Yellow Cards: Fernandez E. 24; Adarabioyo 25; Palmer Co. 25
Red cards: Cucurella 22'