Recap

Wilson’s Late Strike Sinks 10-Man Chelsea As Fulham Extend Unbeaten Run

Craven Cottage thriller sees Fulham edge London derby 2-1 against numerically depleted Blues

Fulham claimed a dramatic 2-1 victory over 10-man Chelsea at Craven Cottage, with Harry Wilson’s late winner sealing a sixth consecutive unbeaten league match and drawing the Cottagers level on points with their West London rivals.

In a fiercely contested derby, Raúl Jiménez’s towering header and Wilson’s clinical late finish bookended a spirited Chelsea fightback, which included Liam Delap’s first Premier League goal for the club but was undermined by a first‑half red card for Marc Cucurella.

Cucurella’s red card shapes the contest

The match’s defining moment arrived just 22 minutes in, when Chelsea were reduced to 10 men. Marc Cucurella, deployed on the left of Chelsea’s defence, was dismissed for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity after bringing down Harry Wilson as the Fulham winger burst in behind.

The incident came from a direct ball in behind Chelsea’s back line, with Wilson timing his run and racing clear, only for Cucurella to clip him from behind. The referee immediately produced a red card, judging the Spaniard to be the last man. Chelsea could point to Tosin Adarabioyo sprinting back in cover, but the on‑field decision stood and there was no VAR reprieve.

The dismissal forced Chelsea into a reshuffle. Interim manager Calum McFarlane, still in charge on the touchline as newly appointed head coach Liam Rosenior watched from the stands, moved to shore up the defence. Jorrel Hato was introduced to stabilise the back line, and Chelsea dropped deeper, looking to contain Fulham and play on transitions.

With the numerical advantage, Fulham grew in confidence and began to dictate possession. Emile Smith Rowe almost made the extra man count with a superb effort from distance, turning away from his marker and unleashing a 25-yard strike that whistled narrowly over the bar. Wilson then thought he had broken the deadlock with a crisp low finish, only to see his celebrations halted by a VAR review. Raúl Jiménez was ruled marginally offside in the build-up, and the goal was chalked off.

Wilson denied, but Fulham turn pressure into breakthrough

Despite the disallowed goal, Fulham’s attacking intent was clear. Sander Berge, operating in midfield, began to dictate the tempo, combining with Tom Cairney and feeding the wide players. Timothy Castagne and Antonee Robinson pushed high from full-back, helping Fulham pin Chelsea back for long spells.

After the interval, the pressure finally told. In the 55th minute, Jiménez made amends for his earlier offside involvement with a classic centre-forward’s header. The Mexican striker smartly held his run to stay onside, peeled off the shoulder of Trevoh Chalobah, and met Berge’s inviting cross from the right with a firm downward header into the bottom-right corner beyond Robert Sánchez. It was a finish of authority and rewarded Fulham’s sustained control since the red card.

Chelsea, however, responded with resilience. Even with 10 men, the visitors refused to fold, and their threat grew once they managed to push a few yards higher up the pitch. Cole Palmer, as so often this season, became the key creative outlet, drifting into pockets between the lines to link play and slide passes into the channels.

Delap’s landmark strike gives Chelsea hope

Chelsea’s best chance to equalise came shortly after Fulham’s opener, when Palmer engineered a clever move in the final third. The young playmaker shaped to shoot but instead produced a smart dummy that allowed the ball to run through to Liam Delap. The striker attempted a delicate dink over Bernd Leno, but the Fulham goalkeeper stood tall and smothered the finish.

Delap’s persistence, though, would soon be rewarded. In the 72nd minute, Chelsea grabbed a deserved equaliser from a set-piece. A corner delivery caused chaos in the Fulham box; Antonee Robinson, trying to clear, inadvertently headed the ball against his own crossbar. As the ball dropped, Delap reacted quickest and prodded home from close range to score his first Premier League goal for Chelsea.

The goal galvanised the away end and briefly shifted the momentum. With Rosenior watching intently from the stands ahead of his first game in the dugout in the FA Cup, Chelsea’s 10 men showed the pressing energy and direct running that will likely define his tenure. The equaliser also underlined Delap’s growing importance as a focal point, with his work rate and physical presence crucial in helping Chelsea play out under pressure.

Wilson’s late winner breaks Chelsea resistance

Fulham, suddenly pegged back, were forced to regroup, but Marco Silva’s side retained their composure. Rather than panicking, they continued to probe through Berge’s passing and Smith Rowe’s movement between the lines. The decisive moment came in the 81st minute, and fittingly it was Wilson – so influential throughout – who delivered the knockout blow.

Receiving the ball on the edge of the area, Wilson faced up Jorrel Hato and produced a deft feint to create a yard of space. Shifting the ball cleverly onto his left foot, he drilled a low, precise strike beyond Sánchez and into the corner. It was a technically excellent finish and the kind of incisive final action that had been missing earlier in the contest.

The goal sent Craven Cottage into raptures and left Chelsea’s weary 10 men with a mountain to climb in the closing stages. McFarlane’s side tried to commit bodies forward when opportunities arose, but Fulham managed the game well, controlling possession and winning cheap free-kicks to disrupt Chelsea’s rhythm.

In added time, Fulham forced another corner, again testing Chelsea’s reshaped defence, but the Blues held firm to avoid further damage. The final whistle confirmed a 2-1 victory for Fulham and another frustrating, ill-disciplined chapter in Chelsea’s league campaign.

Standout performers and tactical battles

For Fulham, several key figures stood out. Jiménez led the line intelligently, occupying centre-backs and providing an outlet for longer passes. His opener was the product of sharp movement and clinical finishing, and he consistently unsettled the Chelsea back line.

Harry Wilson was arguably the game’s standout player. Constantly looking to dart in behind and drift into central zones, he won the free-kick situation that led to Cucurella’s dismissal, saw a first-half strike disallowed, and still found the energy and composure to net the decisive winner late on. His ability to carry the ball at speed and attack isolated defenders caused problems for Chelsea all evening.

In midfield, Sander Berge provided control and quality. His cross for Jiménez’s opener was perfectly weighted, and his range of passing helped Fulham maintain pressure high up the pitch, especially once they had the numerical advantage. Tom Cairney contributed calmness on the ball, recycling possession and ensuring Fulham did not lose their structure when Chelsea rallied.

At the back, Bernd Leno produced a vital save from Delap’s attempted chip at 1-0, a moment that could easily be overlooked but proved pivotal in keeping Fulham in front until the eventual equaliser. Robinson, despite his own-goal scare off the crossbar, was energetic on the left flank, offering width and overlapping runs that pinned Chelsea’s wide players deep.

For Chelsea, Delap’s performance was a major positive. His movement, willingness to run the channels, and persistence under pressure were rewarded with his first league goal for the club. Over 90 minutes, he provided a focal point that allowed Chelsea to relieve pressure and mount counter-attacks despite being a man down.

Cole Palmer again underlined his status as Chelsea’s creative heartbeat. Even with reduced possession, he produced the moment of ingenuity that opened up Fulham’s defence for Delap’s earlier chance and constantly looked to knit together attacks. Behind them, Robert Sánchez made several important interventions, even if he could do little about either goal.

Rosenior watches on as Chelsea discipline costs them again

Overseeing proceedings from the stands, new Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior got a first-hand look at both the potential and the problems within his new squad. The fightback with 10 men, capped by Delap’s equaliser, showcased character and attacking promise. However, Cucurella’s early dismissal continued a worrying trend of Chelsea struggling to keep 11 players on the pitch in key matches.

The red card forced McFarlane into damage-limitation mode and demanded huge physical effort from those remaining. For Rosenior, the immediate priority will be improving discipline and defensive decision-making, particularly in transition situations when opponents are breaking through on goal.

Rosenior is set to take charge for the first time in the upcoming FA Cup tie against Charlton, where he will have a chance to impose his ideas and possibly rotate a squad that has endured a high-intensity run of fixtures.

What the result means for the table

Fulham’s victory lifts them up to ninth place on 31 points, extending their unbeaten run in the league to six matches and reinforcing their status as one of the division’s in-form sides. Chelsea, despite their ambitions of pushing towards the top four, remain stuck on the same points total, level with Fulham and just three points off the Champions League places, but with momentum checked once again by indiscipline and inconsistency.

For Marco Silva’s team, this derby win represents both a statement and a springboard. They not only claimed bragging rights over a local rival but also demonstrated resilience in responding to Chelsea’s equaliser and the ability to finish strongly in tight matches.

For Chelsea, the narrative is more complicated. There were positives in the spirit shown with 10 men and the emergence of Delap as a reliable attacking option, yet the damage inflicted by Cucurella’s red card and the late defensive lapse for Wilson’s winner highlighted the fragility that Rosenior must address. As the season’s second half unfolds, both sides will view this intense, incident‑filled derby as a defining moment in their respective campaigns.