Cole Palmer Dominates Chelsea's Season Opener Against Fulham

Cole Palmer has started the new campaign exactly where he left off – at the centre of everything Chelsea do well.

The 22-year-old has been voted Player of the Matchweek for Matchweek 1 after a dominant display in Chelsea’s breathless 3-2 win over Fulham in the west London derby at Craven Cottage.

Palmer didn’t just decorate the game. He decided it.

He set the tone early, threading the assist for Joao Pedro’s opener to give Chelsea control in hostile territory. When the match tightened after the break and the derby tension rose, Palmer stepped up again, striking what proved to be the winner at the start of the second half to tilt the contest decisively Chelsea’s way.

The numbers only underline what the eyes already told you.

Palmer attempted five shots, more than any of his team-mates. He had nine touches in the Fulham penalty area, constantly probing, constantly asking questions. He won 10 duels, fought for everything, and recovered possession seven times – in every one of those categories, he led Chelsea.

The pressure he applied, the spaces he found, the way he kept dragging his side up the pitch: it all added up to a performance that dominated the fans’ vote. Palmer collected 40 per cent, with Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard his nearest challenger on 22 per cent.

It is Palmer’s first Player of the Matchweek award since Matchweek 25 of last season, when he hit a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Same award. Same spotlight. A different season, but the same message: this is very much Cole Palmer’s Chelsea now.