by The strongest thing about this game was the battle for Chelsea’s identity. The wise, humble, tough version that Mauricio Pochettino’s side have looked like from time to time, there was a sense that the pressure had smothered Fulham before Cole Palmer cleared the way to victory with a burst of creativity at the end of a terrible first half.
This is certainly the way forward for Chelsea if the gamble is on young players hungry to get to work. This was their third successive win in the league, a run that took them to three points off sixth place (one game more than West Ham), but it was hardly glamorous. If momentum is building, perspective is needed. Away from the tricks and tricks of Palmer, who was once again the most exciting attacker on the pitch, there was plenty to worry Pochettino as he watched his side attempt to bounce back from their embarrassment at Middlesbrough in the first leg of their semi-final Carabao Cup. final.
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The Chelsea coach will have another great win from Djordje Petrovic, a clean program and the energy of Conor Gallagher, Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo in midfield. He will love the moment when Palmer sparked a counter-attack by lobbing Antonee Robinson. He will be pleased that the injury crisis eased enough to respond to Fulham’s late push by bringing in Carney Chukwuemeka and Ben Chilwell.
Equally, however, there were times when Pochettino looked ready to blow. He glowered after a few minutes, turning to his assistants grumble after a wasted free-kick. Desperate for urgency, he cried when Gallagher turned back and played a safe pass to Axel Disasi.
Palmer aside, no one in blue seemed willing to risk it. It has long been a weakness for Chelsea in winning home games. They take too long to make decisions and Pochettino’s criticism was that Chelsea’s attacking play was often lacking in pattern.
That left Chelsea needing individual brilliance to take on Fulham. Fortunately there was no sign of Palmer feeling sorry for himself after being let down by Middlesbrough. This is a 21-year-old man who takes responsibility. Chelsea were at work before Palmer turned provider just before half-time, his disguised pass finally unbalancing the Fulham defence, Raheem Sterling running through to take out Issa Diop’s penalty.
It was a relief when Palmer, who has 16 goals since leaving Manchester City in the summer, scored his fifth penalty of the season. But Chelsea could have been down to 10 men by then, with the video assistant referee mysteriously choosing not to intervene when Willian was caught by Malo Gusto. Later, in another sign of the raw nature of this side, there would be silly bookings for Disasi and Fernández.
Enter the silly, Boehly-fied version of Chelsea that threatens to stop Pochettino from making serious progress. There is nothing quite like it. Curiously, for all their spending since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over, Chelsea haven’t turned the stars in the transfer market. They buy young and talk about organic growth. Lying beneath that ethos, however, is a disturbance that could undermine it.
It feels odd. Even if Pochettino’s position is not in danger, there are times under this ownership when Chelsea are coming forward like a wreck and celebrities are obsessed.
How else to explain the scene behind Pochettino here? Why were a couple of young men in Bond’s green velvet blazers sitting in the bottom row of the East Stand? They stood up, saluted and sat down. A few minutes later they got up again and suddenly started reading from a book.
In the third diversion each of them was brushing their teeth, as is the tradition in football. It was tempting to report them for a permanent position. It was hard to know why they were pushing Palmer out of the limelight.
Except, that is, you knew it was all a publicity stunt Argyll, an upcoming film produced by one of Boehly’s companies. With Dua Lipa, who had the honor of attending Stamford Bridge for this classic, it could be good and it could be bad. Whatever. People were here to watch the game. The idea that anyone cared about Boehly’s side project was offensive to paying supporters.
But this is Chelsea now, where football seems to have to compete with Hollywood for star billing. Indeed, that phenomenon is seen in an approach to the transfer market that makes another new signing seem as important as a win. It won’t be a surprise if Chelsea are desperate for a striker after Armando Broja’s inability to trouble the Fulham defence.
The battle continues. Chelsea have renewed hopes of qualifying for Europe, are in the FA Cup and will reach the Carabao Cup final if they can come back in the semi-final against Middlesbrough. Pochettino can claim that he is building something successful. It could come down to which version of Chelsea won.
