A visit to Stamford Bridge could have been the ideal May Day fixture – especially if both clubs were in mid-table.
Instead, Chelsea are fighting to finish in the top four while the Whites are desperate to escape the bottom three. The five Fulham matches that followed the exhilarating victory at Anfield had yielded just one point.
Scott Parker prepared a strategy to cope with whatever team Thomas Tuchel sent out, and some early pressure nearly succeeded when Antonee Robinson’s fierce drive was tipped over by Edouard Mendy.
This led to one of eight Fulham corners, most of them wasted. Chelsea responded in the tenth minute with a move combining unfashionable directness with technical brilliance. Thiago Silva’s long upfield pass was controlled superbly by Mason Mount and fed to Kai Havertz for a simple goal. The visitors’ prospects looked ominous and Mount and Havertz fashioned another goal shortly afterwards but the well-trained defence had caught the German offside.
Mendy was called on to make another good save, this time from Ademola Lookman, and Silva blocked a Bobby DeCordova-Reid effort that was surely on target. Fulham’s accuracy was improving at last. After Alphonse Areola had saved athletically from Hakim Ziyech, Ola Aina nearly equalised in the dying moments of the first half.
Not for the first time this season, hopes of a draw vanished straight after the interval. Ben Chilwell prompted a breakaway that led to Havertz’s second goal. Parker’s late introduction of Josh Onomah, Fabio Carvalho and Aleksandar Mitrovic had little effect. Chelsea eased to victory.
Parker has done wonders sustaining his squad’s morale through a tough season – and he continues to state his belief that relegation can be avoided. But after each Chelsea goal at least one of his players gave a shrug of despair. Though Fulham tried hard they succumbed to a team that made scoring look easy.
Looking back on promotion
Twenty years ago, fans were celebrating becoming the winners of Division One. This entitled Fulham to join the Premiership. Here are three photos of mine from that moment in the club’s history.
Barry Hayles, seen with the trophy, was one of several prolific scorers – the team notched 90 goals in 46 matches.
The expertise of manager Jean Tigana (mouthing his usual toothpick).
The bank roll of Mohamed Al Fayed contributed hugely to the team’s success.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
Want to read more news stories like this? Subscribe to our weekly e-news bulletin.
