Joao Pedro strikes again as Chelsea beat Fulham

Joao Pedro continued his scoring streak as Chelsea benefited from controversial refereeing decisions to beat rivals Fulham 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Joao Pedro headed the opener in first-half injury time to score his fifth goal in five starts across all competitions since his £55m move from Brighton, with midfielder Enzo Fernandez scoring a second-half penalty.

However, referee Robert Jones took centre stage after making several controversial decisions.

The first ruled out Fulham midfielder Josh King’s goal in the 21st minute. His team-mate Rodrigo Muniz was judged to have stepped on Trevoh Chalobah in the build-up by the video assistant referee (VAR) Michael Salisbury.

Jones confirmed the decision after viewing the pitchside monitor but there appeared to be minimal contact in what also looked a natural action by striker Muniz, while playing with his back to goal.

Joao Pedro further punished Fulham, who dominated the first 45 minutes, by scoring a header from Fernandez’s corner with the final action of the half.

Fernandez then scored from the penalty spot to seal victory after Ryan Sessegnon was judged to have handled the ball in the penalty area.

It was a difficult decision for the officials but again went in Chelsea’s favour as Fulham manager Marco Silva fumed at referee Jones.

Chelsea secured an important victory before the international break despite losing striker Liam Delap to a hamstring injury early in the first half.

Joao Pedro has made a great impact since cutting short his holiday on the beaches of his native Brazil to join Chelsea during the Club World Cup in July.

Three goals in three starts, including one in the final in New Jersey against Paris St-Germain in July, has been followed up with a great start in the Premier League.

He now has two goals and two assists in his first three league games.

In all competitions, that is five goals and a further two assists in his first five starts, becoming the first Chelsea player to score five goals or more in his first five starts since Tammy Abraham in 2019.

Joao Pedro cites similarities between manager Enzo Maresca’s style of play to his former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi as a key reason behind his quick adaptation to life in west London. Of course, the forward also knows the Premier League and English football having moved to the league to join Watford in 2020.

He is already repaying the initial £55m paid to Brighton for his services over the summer.

However, there will be concern after Delap suffered a hamstring injury which Maresca says he fears could rule him out for six to eight weeks after an early assessment.

He would join star attacker Cole Palmer on the sidelines and the Blues had to play academy talent Tyrique George up front for the majority of the match.

Alternative striking option Christopher Nkunku joined AC Milan before kick-off and Nicolas Jackson is closing in on a loan move to Bayern Munich.

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