Chelsea 1 Fulham 2: Muniz scores dramatic injury-time winner to end 45-year Stamford Bridge hoodoo
ENZO MARESCA was right – Chelsea will not contend for the title like this.
Ahead with less than ten minutes to go, having been gifted chance after chance by rivals Fulham they collapsed.
Maresca has insisted that Liverpool do not need to worry about his Chelsea team rivalling them for the title.
No one wanted to listen to him, but here perhaps was the evidence to back up his argument as Rodrigo Muniz stole a historic Fulham win in the 95th minute.
They had not even scored here for 13 years, let alone won – the last coming in 1979.
Fulham fans were celebrating a well earned point via Harry Wilson‘s goal when Muniz struck at the death.
Before all that it looked like being the Cole Palmer show once again, he had scored a stunning goal and claimed another record.
The Blues star has now scored more Premier League goals in a calendar year than any other Chelsea player.
And he notched the latest, his 26th in 2024, in front of the man whose record he nabbed, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
Marco Silva made five changes and shifted to a back three to try and slow Chelsea’s imperious forward line.
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But no matter how many central defenders you throw in, Palmer will usually find a way through.
And he did so in spectacular fashion.
Collecting the ball from Levi Colwill in a fairly innocuous spot, the England star spun smartly away from Andreas Pereira and Sasa Lukic with his first two touches.
Stamford Bridge’s main attraction shifted the ball onto his left and rolled the most composed of finishes through the legs of Issa Diop and past Bernd Leno.
Most likely it was fortunate that Palmer nut-megged the Fulham defender, but he has had such a good year that everything looks intentional.
The former Manchester City man could have had two more in the next few minutes too.
Leno stopped two low efforts, the second coming after Palmer found space by prodding the ball through the legs of another Fulham player – Lukic this time.
Fulham were still causing the odd problem, Raul Jimenez fired wide on the break while Calvin Bassey tested Robert Sanchez after an incredible solo run.
But they were mainly making trouble for themselves.
On far too many occasions Silva’s men handed over possession in their own half, overplaying in the face of Chelsea’s press.
After one mishap led to a free-kick on the edge of the box, Marc Cucurella should have made it count with his diving header at the far post – but it was straight at Leno.
The German was being kept extremely busy thanks to the haphazard defending going on ahead.
Minutes after the restart – Silva’s chance to sort things out – he made a flying fingertip save to stop a dipping Enzo Fernandez effort.
There was nothing he could do to avoid being bundled into the net along with the ball from Levi Colwill’s header, though it was clearly offside and quickly ruled out.
After those early scares, however, the Cottagers improved significantly.
Moises Caicedo and Fernandez suddenly looked a lot like the underperforming stars of last season as they tried to hold on to Fulham.
The visitors should have been level through Antonee Robinson, who was picked out free at the far post.
But his heavy touch allowed Robert Sanchez to rush out and save. Fulham kept the pressure up, with substitute Rodrigo Muniz heading at the Chelsea keeper.
Then Wilson, another sub, ended Fulham’s ridiculous drought on this ground.
There was another sign of the immaturity Maresca has pointed out on occasion as Pedro Neto embarrassingly fell to the ground.
Alex Iwobi pushed past the winger, who decided to roll on the ground instead of battle.
Antonee Robison reached the byline and cut back to the far post, where Timothy Castange headed back across goal, teeing up Wilson to slip behind ex-teammate Tosin Adarabioyo and nod in.
Fulham deserved the leveller – and then went one better.
Not long after Leno had stopped from Jadon Sancho, white shirts were racing forwards again.
Wilson played in Lukic who crossed for Muniz to make some Fulham history.