In a chaotic, high-stakes west London derby at Craven Cottage on Monday, Xabi Alonso kicked off his tenure as Chelsea manager with a pulsating 3-2 opening victory, powered by debut goals from record-signing Morgan Rogers and a lightning-fast early strike from Joao Pedro. The result carries extra weight for Alonso, who was hired this offseason to pull Chelsea out of a disappointing slump that saw the club finish 10th in the Premier League last term. For the former Real Madrid head coach, the win also serves as an immediate response to his unceremonious sacking from the Spanish giants after less than eight months in charge, ending his tenure at the Bernabeu earlier this year. The match carried even more narrative subtext: Alonso faced off against new Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa, a long-time teammate who played alongside the Chelsea boss for seven years at both Real Madrid and Liverpool, and also represented Spain at the international level. In a striking twist of fate, Arbeloa was promoted from his role leading Real Madrid B to replace Alonso immediately after his dismissal in January. Chelsea got off to a historic fast start, with Joao Pedro finding the back of the net just 31 seconds into the contest. The goal came from a deft flicked pass from Cole Palmer, who controlled a header from Levi Colwill before playing Pedro through on goal, and the central forward finished coolly past Fulham keeper Bernd Leno. The lead did not hold long, however, as Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez — already under scrutiny after a string of shaky performances last season — made the first of two costly errors, fumbling a relatively routine strike from Josh King in the 23rd minute to gift Fulham an equalizer. Alonso’s aggressive 3-4-3 formation left Chelsea’s defense exposed on multiple occasions throughout the match, but the Blues’ new attacking trio clicked into place almost immediately to produce clinical, purposeful going forward. The summer’s biggest signing made his mark before halftime: Morgan Rogers, who moved to Chelsea from Aston Villa for a British record £117 million ($159 million) in the offseason, put the Blues back in front in the 41st minute. The goal was a product of quick combination play: Palmer pulled off a clever turn to find new defender Maxence Lacroix, who burst forward unexpectedly to play a low cross into the path of Rogers, who slotted a clinical finish past Leno from 10 yards out. After scoring, Rogers celebrated with the viral “ice-cold” gesture popularized by Palmer, his close friend and new attacking teammate. The pair, who already had a strong off-pitch relationship, gelled instantly to lead Chelsea’s dynamic attacking push. Palmer extended Chelsea’s lead just four minutes after halftime, capping off a strong build-up from Pedro, who held up play long enough for Palmer to burst into the box and slot a low shot past Leno from a tight angle. The goal marked a determined start for Palmer, who missed out on a spot in England’s World Cup squad during a disappointing 2023/24 campaign and looked eager to prove his quality this season. Fulham hit back quickly, however, as a second error from Sanchez allowed the Cottagers to pull one back. The Chelsea keeper weakly parried a shot from Timothy Castagne straight into the path of Gonzalo Garcia, another Real Madrid-linked debutant, who headed home the rebound in the 54th minute. The match saw one other notable off-pitch moment: Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez was greeted with deafening boos from Fulham fans when he came off the bench, a reaction to his controversial role in Argentina’s World Cup semi-final win over England several years ago. In a frantic final 35 minutes, Fulham pushed hard for an equalizer: King nearly leveled with a long-range rocket that fizzed just wide of the post, and Antonee Robinson’s lob over Sanchez drifted narrowly off target. Chelsea held on to secure the full three points, giving Alonso a dream start to his reign at Stamford Bridge. For Chelsea fans, the performance offers early optimism heading into the new season: keeping attacking stars Rogers and Palmer fit and in form could be the critical factor that pushes the club back into contention for a Champions League qualification spot, a goal the club has missed in recent campaigns.