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Xabi Alonso secured a debut victory in the Premier League on the first Monday Night Football of the season with an impressive 3-2 victory over compatriot and former teammate Alvaro Arbeloa.
£117 million man Morgan Rogers opened his Chelsea account, scoring alongside his fellow frontline members in best friend Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro, who netted past Bernd Leno after just 31 seconds.
It was a tough night for Fulham, who struggled despite finishing the game with a one-goal deficit. Here are some key takeaways.
Maxence Lacroix was certainly worth the investment
A conclusion felt like it was always going to be drawn at some point this season- but after a composed and cultured performance from Maxence Lacroix, it seems apparent already that his acquisition from Crystal Palace was well worth the reported £52 million.
Alongside 23-year-old Levi Colwill and 20-year-old Josh Acheampong, the Frenchman marshalled the backline very well, regularly thwarting their best offensive efforts, and even getting forward and pitching in with an excellent assist for his side’s second of the night.
When the former Wolfsburg man joined in July, it was the first time since 2022 that the Blues had paid a transfer fee for a player aged 26 or older, marking a pivotal moment in the Clearlake era in West London where players of such experience and age were ignored, instead focusing on the stars of tomorrow rather than established stars of today- a category Lacroix clearly fell into after two excellent years at Crystal Palace.
Lacroix is set to play a pivotal role in Xabi Alonso’s back three this season, and if he continues as he has done in pre-season and on Matchday 1, that assumption will surely become reality.
Fulham will struggle under Arebloa
One Spaniard walks away with three points and plenty of positives to take- the other suffers a loss on his first Premier League match and more area for concern than delight. The latter comes in the form of Alvaro Arbeloa, who arrived to the English top flight with his critics, many of which will feel vindicated after watching his side tonight.
The Cottagers found goals through Josh King and Gonzalo García- but if not for a Robert Sanchez disaster (more on him later) and a scrappy second, Fulham would have come nowhere near scoring it feels.
Suspect defensive structure (reminder, it was Sander Berge 1v1 against Joao Pedro before he set up Cole Palmer for Chelsea’s second) and a lack of bite in the final third will likely see them dragged into a relegation battle this season if fundamental issues like those are not addressed.
Robert Sánchez will prevent Chelsea from being serious title challengers
A game dominated by storylines around Spaniards, the third comes in the form of shot stopper Robert Sánchez. Perhaps that description is untrue given Josh King’s equaliser, of which the 28-year-old was embarrassingly beaten at his near post.
Throughout the majority of his Chelsea career, the former Brighton man has been a steady presence in between the sticks, known for his sharp distribution. Unfortunately, the odd but not uncommon clanger sours his image in the minds of many fans, including some Chelsea fans.
Some expert recruitment, a top-class gaffer in Alonso, a lack of European football and some expensive yet vast squad depth could see Chelsea mount a strong title challenge this season- but if a ‘keeper as unreliable as Sánchez is expected to keep them in such challenge, it won’t last long.
The final week of the transfer window leaves Chelsea with a few choices: persist with their current number one; rip the band aid off, and give 21-year-old Mike Penders the chance to prove himself after a great 2025/26 campaign at Strasbourg; or dip into the transfer market once more for an upgrade on either of the aforementioned options.
Cover image credit: Arne Müseler via Wikimedia Commons
