Xabi Alonso began his Chelsea tenure with a victory, as the Blues claimed a 3-2 win over Fulham in a pulsating west London derby to open the Premier League season. Nigeria Super Eagles internationals Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey both started for Fulham but were unable to rescue their side from an opening-day loss.

Chelsea wasted no time making their mark. Within 31 seconds of kick-off, a botched clearance from Fulham's defence allowed Cole Palmer to flick a pass through to João Pedro, who coolly dinked the ball over goalkeeper Bernd Leno to give the hosts an instant lead.

Fulham's brief leveller

Fulham responded well and drew level in the 23rd minute through Josh King, whose low drive from a narrow angle crept beneath Robert Sánchez at the near post. The west London rivals were level at the break — briefly.

Chelsea restored their advantage before half-time through summer signing Maxence Lacroix. The £52 million centre-back burst forward on an overlapping run, received the ball from Palmer, rode a weak challenge, and drew Leno before rolling back for Morgan Rogers to tap in on his competitive debut. Rogers had joined Chelsea in a big-money move from Aston Villa.

Pedro and Palmer put the game to bed

The second half opened with Chelsea's front three combining once more. Pedro spotted Fulham's defensive line pushed high, ran from deep inside his own half, and fed Palmer — who cheekily rolled the ball through Leno's legs to make it 3-1.

Fulham halved the deficit almost immediately. Levi Colwill misjudged a long ball, Sánchez could only spill Timothy Castagne's effort, and debutant striker Gonzalo García headed in the rebound to set up a tense finish.

Chelsea hold on

Alonso turned to his bench to manage the closing stages, introducing Enzo Fernández — who replaced a cramping Romeo Lavia — to help his side maintain control. Fulham pressed hard for an equaliser and fashioned several opportunities, but Chelsea's rearguard held firm to secure all three points on the opening weekend.

For Iwobi and Bassey, the defeat serves as early motivation as both players look to establish themselves in what promises to be a competitive Premier League campaign.