Chelsea ended their goal drought with a 2-0 victory over local rivals Fulham in the Premier League on Monday. Mykhailo Mudryk scored his first goal for Chelsea, while Armando Broja marked his return from injury with a goal as well.
Prior to their visit to Craven Cottage, Mauricio Pochettino’s expensively assembled team had failed to score in their previous three league games and had only managed five goals in six league matches this season.
However, within the space of two minutes in the first-half, Chelsea took control of the West London derby. Mudryk chested down a cross from Levi Colwill in the 18th minute and calmly slotted the ball past Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno. Moments later, poor defending by the hosts allowed Broja to double Chelsea’s lead.
This was Mudryk’s first goal since signing for Chelsea nine months ago, while Broja, who was filling in for the suspended Nicolas Jackson, was making his first start since recovering from a knee injury sustained in late 2022. However, Broja was substituted after an hour due to the lingering effects of his injury.
Talking about his goal, Broja expressed his joy, saying, “It’s an unbelievable feeling. It’s been a long time coming. We are gelling as a team. It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s important for us to have that time and to keep progressing as a team.”
Chelsea almost extended their lead when Ian Maatsen, who came off the bench at halftime to replace the injured Mudryk, hit the post in the 62nd minute. Nonetheless, Chelsea comfortably secured only their second league win of the season.
With this victory, Chelsea climbed to the 11th position in the league table with eight points, surpassing Fulham, who now sit in 13th place on goal difference.
Pochettino expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, saying, “The performance was fantastic, with many positive things. We need to keep working, keep believing. The belief was there…and the team today achieved what we wanted. Now, we need to be ruthless, work hard, and find better solutions.”
Pochettino downplayed concerns about fresh injuries to Broja, Moises Caicedo, and Enzo Fernandez, as several other key players are already sidelined. However, he did mention that Mudryk felt a problem in his thigh towards the end of the first half.
Fulham coach Marco Silva lamented his team’s defensive lapses that led to Chelsea’s goals. He acknowledged the challenging situation it created for Fulham and praised Chelsea’s performance.
Dismissing suggestions about missing former striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who moved to Saudi club Al-Hilal in August, Silva emphasized his focus on the current squad and the need to improve decision-making and effectiveness.
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