Chelsea 1-2 Fulham: Match report and talking points as late fightback breaks Blues hearts | OneFootball

Chelsea were consigned to a 2-1 defeat at home to Fulham on Boxing Day after a pair of late strikes from the visitors.

Cole Palmer's dazzling opener looked to have put Chelsea in control but Harry Wilson's late header brought a nervy ending to proceedings, and the Blues buckled under the pressure as Rodrigo Muniz tapped home from close range deep into stoppage time to seal Fulham's first win at Stamford Bridge in 45 years.

Chelsea enjoyed most of the early possession but it was Fulham who caused the bigger threats, with the ever-dangerous Antonee Robinson bursting forward at every given opportunity to try and overwhelm Chelsea's back line.

With 15 minutes on the clock, Chelsea found themselves ahead. Out of nowhere, Palmer weaved his way around a handful of defenders and almost passed the ball into the bottom corner.

Raul Jimenez dragged wide, before Calvin Bassey drew a smart save from Robert Sanchez as Fulham tried to restore parity.

The returning Marc Cucurella was left wondering how he failed to double Chelsea's lead. He met Enzo Fernandez's free kick with a diving header from just a few yards out, but could only direct his effort right at the grateful Bernd Leno, who was relieved to see the deficit remain at one at the interval.

Leno needed to pull out a sensational save to deny a long-range strike from Enzo Fernandez early in the second half. Seconds later, Chelsea were celebrating when Levi Colwill headed home, only for the offside flag to correctly bring the celebrations to an abrupt end.

Fulham definitely had their moments. Alex Iwobi drove agonisingly wide and a series of crosses caused plenty of chaos in the Chelsea box, while Sanchez needed to make a great save to deny Robinson from close range.

With nine minutes to go, Fulham's pressure paid off. Wilson drifted in at the back post and nodded home Timothy Castagne's pass, wheeling off to celebrate Fulham's first goal at Stamford Bridge since 2011.

Another excellent stop from Leno denied Jadon Sancho in the dying embers, and Fulham got the reward their positivity deserved when Rodrigo Muniz slotted into the bottom corner in the fifth minute of added time to seal a famous Fulham win.

Check out Chelsea vs Fulham player ratings here

Palmer's moment of magic

Palmer's goal was brilliant / Ryan Pierse/GettyImages

For the first 15 minutes of this game, Palmer was quiet. He was drifting in and out of the contest before turning the match on its head with a truly glorious individual goal.

Channeling his inner Eden Hazard against West Ham in 2019, Palmer managed to drift his way around several defenders and land in the box, where a remarkably casual strike strolled slowly into the bottom corner.

Defenders aren't giving Palmer the sort of space he was afforded last season, so these moments of pure brilliance are becoming increasingly necessary. Fortunately for Chelsea, it's clear in every touch of the ball that Palmer is up for the challenge.

Bernd Leno saves the day

Leno was excellent / GLYN KIRK/GettyImages

Fulham were lively in attack and can definitely feel as though this result was justified, although they must give plenty of credit to the dazzling Bernd Leno in goal.

Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernandez and Christopher Nkunku all drew utterly sensational saves from the Fulham stopper, who kept his side in this game at times and allowed his forwards to go and snatch all three points.

Fulham's change of formation

Robinson was central to Fulham's success / Ryan Pierse/GettyImages

Fulham's focus here was obvious. They went to a five-man defence which allowed Antonee Robinson to play almost as a winger in attack. In the early stages, it looked like a masterstroke, with Calvin Bassey drifting out to left-back to ensure Robinson needed to do nothing but attack.

Chelsea, however, seemed to figure this out, marking Robinson out of the game early on as Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto combined well on the defensive side of things. Robinson's high starting position occasionally seemed to deny him the chance to pick the ball up from deep, which limited his involvement at times.

The balance of this battle swung back and forth as Robinson tried to drag Fulham back into this one. The United States international undoubtedly caught the eye ahead of a January transfer window in which he could play a central role.

Pressure pays off for Fulham

Wilson headed home late on / Ryan Pierse/GettyImages

Fulham seemed to grow in strength with each passing minute. They had half-chance after half-chance after half-chance, but they finally managed a moment of quality in front of goal to snatch all three points.

Alex Iwobi shrugged off an attempted foul from Pedro Neto and sent in a dangerous ball which was smartly headed back across goal by Timothy Castage. In crept Harry Wilson for the easiest finish of his career. Muniz had more work to do, keeping his cool before picking out the bottom corner with his weaker foot.

It was a fair reward for Fulham's positivity and one with which Chelsea can hardly argue, having seen Fulham dominate possession for large parts of this game.