Chelsea ride VAR storm to sink Fulham in fiery derby
Chelsea edged past Fulham 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, but the victory was clouded in controversy after a string of VAR decisions left the visitors seething.
Enzo Maresca’s side survived an early scare when Josh King’s 21st-minute strike was controversially ruled out. VAR judged Rodrigo Muniz’s accidental collision with Trevoh Chalobah as a foul in the buildup, denying Fulham what looked like a legitimate opener.
The drama didn’t stop there. Deep into first-half stoppage time—beyond the allotted eight minutes—Joao Pedro struck to hand Chelsea the lead, leaving Fulham boss Marco Silva fuming on the touchline.
VAR again played a decisive role in the second half when Ryan Sessegnon was penalised for handball. Enzo Fernández made no mistake from the spot to double Chelsea’s advantage and seal their third straight unbeaten London derby, following a draw with Crystal Palace and a demolition of West Ham.
There was plenty happening off the pitch too. Alejandro Garnacho was in the stands, fresh from visiting Chelsea’s training ground to finalise his move from Manchester United. His imminent arrival coincides with Nicolas Jackson preparing for a loan switch to Bayern Munich and Christopher Nkunku completing a transfer to AC Milan.
It wasn’t all good news for Chelsea. Liam Delap, tasked with leading Maresca’s revamped attack, lasted less than 15 minutes before limping off with a suspected hamstring injury. He joins Cole Palmer on the sidelines, after the England forward suffered a groin problem that will keep him out of upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
For Fulham, the sense of injustice will sting. For Chelsea, fortune—and VAR—made sure their unbeaten run continues.
