This nervy 1-0 win over Fulham ensured Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea enjoyed three league wins in a row for the first time as manager of the club. It was still badly needed relief after the midweek Carabao Cup defeat to Middlesbrough, and all the more crucial given they now face three games that could define their entire season. There’s the return in the Carabao Cup, the FA Cup fourth-round clash against Aston Villa and then another difficult Premier League game away to Liverpool. They needed this.
They also, very evidently, need Cole Palmer. In a first half where nobody could seem to play a pass that wasn't flat and everyone looked unable to do anything that might hurt the opposition, the playmaker saw a fraction of space in the box and slipped through the most insightful ball. It is what Chelsea have been badly lacking, beyond this game.
