With a thrilling 2-1 Premier League victory at Stamford Bridge, Fulham struck twice in the last ten minutes to halt Chelsea’s 12-game winning streak across all competitions. Rodrigo Muniz and Harry Wilson, who came on as substitutes, stunned the Blues and gave Fulham their first away victory against their west London rivals since 1979. With two games remaining against their closest rivals, commencing with the visit from Leicester later on Thursday, leaders Liverpool lead second-place Chelsea by four points. With the win, Fulham’s hopes of qualifying for Europe next season are further enhanced as they move up to eighth position, equal with champions Manchester City, and within one point of fifth-place Newcastle.
“It is a privilege to give our fans this happiness,” commented Marco Silva, the manager of Fulham.
“The second half had the best response. The fact that we are the Premier League team with the most goals from players off the bench is not a coincidence.
Despite their excellent play, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has maintained in recent weeks that his youthful team is not yet ready to contend for the championship.
Additionally, the home team failed to build on a fantastic start provided by Cole Palmer’s brilliance, proving their manager’s argument.
About 40 yards away, Levi Colwill played the ball into Palmer’s feet, but it didn’t appear like anything was on.
However, the England player came alive, swerving away from Andreas Pereira and slicing past Sasa Lukic in the direction of the box’s edge.
Palmer then put the finishing touch by casually putting the ball past defender Issa Diop’s knees and into Bernd Leno’s goal’s corner.
Palmer’s 26th league goal of 2024 broke the Chelsea record established by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in 2001 for the most Premier League goals scored in a calendar year.
“We were winning for most of the game, but to lose at the end is difficult,” Palmer stated.
“We lost some control in the second half and were caught up in their game and paid the price since they are a terrific transition team and prefer to play direct.
Palmer almost scored a second goal shortly after taking the lead with a nutmeg on the box’s edge and a low shot that Leno well stopped.
Before halftime, Fulham’s German goalkeeper also produced crucial stops to maintain Chelsea ahead thanks to goals from Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez.
This month, Silva’s team has already earned points from Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool, and the Portuguese’s adjustments helped the visitors win.
Another substitute will take over in eight minutes. Wilson looked in at the far post after Timothy Castagne headed Tom Cairney’s ball across goal.
In a thrilling finish, both teams had opportunities to win it, but Fulham’s goal in the 95th minute gave them a historic triumph.
In front of the ecstatic traveling crowd, Lukic raced forward from midfield and squared for Muniz to coolly put into the bottom corner.
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