Fulham ruin Chelsea’s Premier League title dream

Rodrigo Muniz has dealt a massive blow to Chelsea’s Premier League title hopes as the Blues were stunned by two late goals by Fulham in a hard-fought game.

The result gives Fulham their first win at Stamford Bridge since 1979.

Mercurial attacker Cole Palmer opened the scoring with a trademark cool finish, only for Chelsea to be pegged back by the hard-fighting boys from Craven Cottage.

Fulham had an impressive second half with former Liverpool winger Harry Wilson equalising for them.

And the shock loss leaves Chelsea four points behind leaders Liverpool with two games extra played, while Fulham are up to eighth spot on 28 points.

Chelsea boss Maresca had an evening to forget

Here are the talking points from an entertaining encounter at Stamford Bridge.

Even by Cole Palmer’s lofty standards this was a special goal from the most exciting England player around right now.

Receiving possession from Levi Colwill with his back to goal 35 yards out, he turned and shimmied his way past three Fulham players before casually side-footing the ball between Issa Diop’s legs and into the bottom left corner.

Few can marry such nonchalance with devastating effectiveness. And again you’re left wondering what Pep Guardiola makes of all this.

It was Palmer’s 26th league strike of 2024, beating the Chelsea record for Premier League goals scored in a calendar year set by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in 2001.

The 22-year-old almost bagged another moments later, with a nutmeg on the edge of the box followed by a low drive which was well kept out by Leno.

The Fulham goalkeeper came to the rescue again when he dived to claw away Marc Cucurella’s header from an Enzo Fernandez free-kick.

But Fulham had their chances too in the first half, not least when Calvin Bassey embarked on a mazy run from inside his own half.

The full-back cut in between two Chelsea defenders before his shot was eventually held, at the second attempt, by Robert Sanchez.

Leno made a spectacular save early in the second half to tip a Fernandez drive over the crossbar.

From the corner, Palmer swung in a cross which was nodded in by Colwill, but the defender was flagged offside.

But Chelsea began to let Fulham come at them and Alex Iwobi sent a curling shot just wide before Sanchez kept out Antonee Robinson from close range.

Fulham must have thought it was not going to be their day, again, when Sanchez brilliantly saved a header from Muniz.

But with eight minutes left Iwobi raided down the right – knocking over Pedro Neto as he went – before playing in Robinson.

The Fulham captain’s cross was headed back across goal by Timothy Castagne for Wilson to glance in at the far post.

Then, four minutes into stoppage time, Chelsea left more gaps at the back and Lukic squared for Muniz to bury in the bottom corner and snatch a memorable win for the visitors.

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