Key events
That’s it for tonight. I’ll leave you with Jacob Steinberg’s match report from Stamford Bridge – goodnight.
Truths, darned truths and statistics
Chelsea have now scored five goals in their last 12 games.
Fulham have taken four points off Chelsea for the first time since 1975-76. They deserved a draw in a game that was genuinely interesting despite the lack of clear chances.
Kai Havertz hit the post for Chelsea and David Datro Fofana’s shot was cleared off the line by Tim Ream. The record signing Enzo Fernandez had a mixed but ultimately positive debut. It’s pretty obvious that he’s a class act – Jorginho with younger legs, more forward passes and a few more goals.
Mykhailo Mudryk had a bad night and was substituted at half-time, though that might have been due to injury.
Fulham had no new signings, just the same old superbly coached XI. And they are now sixth in the table.
Full time: Chelsea 0-0 Fulham
Peep peep!
90+5 min Chilwell’s corner is only half cleared by Fulham. Vinicius tries to run the ball to safety, the eejit, and is dispossessed 20 yards from his own goal. The ball comes to Sterling on the left side of the area, and he floats a curling chip across goal that is comfortably held by the leaping Leno.
90+5 min Thiago wins a corner for Chelsea on the right. One last chancee…
90+4 min: Fulham substitution The limping Andreas Pereira – it looks like tiredness rather than injury – is replaced by Layvin Kurzawa.
90+3 min Wilson is booked for a cynical tackle on Sterling.
90+2 min “On the question of one-footed players, I was struck by how many left-footers came immediately to mind,” says Geoff Wignall. “First and foremost of course, Maradona, whose right foot was just to keep his ankle off the ground. By repute Puskas was similar. Then in the English game my first thoughts were of Muhren and Brady. Is it just more noticeable with left footed players? Or is it just me?”
I had a similar thought, at least when I wasn’t thinking about Veron. I wonder if it’s an illusion because left-footed players are often more elegant.
90+1 min Andreas’s dangerous free-kick is headed up in the air by Thiago. Chelsea can’t quite get it away, and eventually Palhinha twists his body to hit a shot that deflects off Azpilicueta and spins a few yards wide.
90 min Reed is fouled 30 yards from goal in the inside-right channel by Havertz. That’s his last touch. Carlos Vinicius and Tom Cairney replace Aleksandra Mitrovic, who had a quiet night, and Reed.
88 min Fulham have defended brilliantly tonight, at both ends of the pitch. There’s so much to admire about their intensity, purpose and fearlessness. On Sky Sports, Gary Neville says “It’s one of the best defensive shapes I’ve seen. They’ve been perfect, inch perfect.”
87 min Guardian exclusive: Chelsea’s next big signing will be a No9.
85 min “I remember Davor Suker being hilariously one-footed,” says Simon Dunsby.
I don’t know what you mean. He uses his right foot here.
84 min Marco Silva has been booked for something or other.
84 min: Chelsea substitution And a very popular one: Ben Chilwell, returning from injury, replaces Marc Cucurella.
82 min Palhinha, who has been really good, has a long-range shot blocked by the outrushing Fernandez.
80 min On the flip side, were it not for Ream’s anticipation and determination, Fofana would have scored a memorable first goal for Chelsea, both quick-footed and quick-witted.
79 min: Off the line by Ream! What a wonderful piece of defending. Gallagher curled a pass around the defence towards Fofana, at which point Leno came haring out of his penalty area. Fofana went smoothly past him, then chopped back inside the covering Diop in the area.
Those bits he did brilliantly, but his eventual left-footed shot was slightly tame and that allowed Ream to charge back and clear the ball off the line. It was still outstanding defending, but Fofana had done the hard work by beating Leno and Diop.
79 min: Just wide from Gallagher! Madueke’s low cross is half cleared by the stretching Ream. The ball runs towards Gallagher, 22 yards out, and he cracks a low drive into the side netting at the near post.
78 min Fulham have had four shots on target to Chelsea’s one, and I’m struggling to remember that one.
77 min “I’m at Southwark Playhouse for a version of Strindberg’s Miss Julie set in a New York BDSM club,” says Gary Naylor. “And there was I thinking that the pain was coming when Everton play Arsenal tomorrow…”
76 min Havertz is playing slightly deeper now, with the substitute Fofana up front.
75 min: Chelsea substitution David Datro Fofana replaces Mason Mount.
75 min: Double substitution for Fulham Manor Solomon and Harry Wilson replace Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Willian, who gets a standing ovation from both sets of supporters. He was brilliant.
74 min “And I thought Mary Waltz’s origin story was going to involve this guy,” says Harriet Osborn. “And I started supporting… Liverpool because of club values/outreach. Goes to show ya…”
Why do you think I’m typing this in full Forest Green kit?
73 min Mount’s shot on the turn from about 15 yards is excellently blocked by Ream.
72 min: Just wide from Fernandez! That would have brought the house down. The sliding Reed intercepted a pass on the edge of the D but would could only push it towards Fernandez. He ran round the ball, 25 yards goal, and whipped a lovely shot that swerved just wide of the far post. I think Leno had it covered, though I wouldn’t be my last sliver of dignity on it.
71 min To the delight of the Fulham fans behind the goal, Sterling slices an admittedly difficult volleyed cross straight out of play.
70 min Hello! Mitrovic, barely past the halfway line, spots Kepa off his line and drives a lofted shot towards goal. Kepa backpedals urgently, pats the ball away from under the crossbar and grabs it at the second attempt.
69 min Reed clips a beautiful pass over the top to release Willian onto the left. Badishile comes across so Willian tries to wave a pass across the area with the outside of his right boot. He overhits it and the danger passes.
68 min “Watching that hilariously skewed shot from Ziyech just a few moments ago, I was thinking of some of the best two footed players I can recall watching (Santi Cazorla comes to mind),” says Saurya Chakraborty. “But leaning the other way, who do you think had the biggest difference in ability between their stronger and weaker foot? Just by the recent example I think Ziyech comes close.”
I’m thinking of only one man right now, a man who single-footedly introduced me to the concept of the love/hate relationship: Juan Sebastian Veron.
67 min De Cordova-Reid is booking for pulling Raheem Sterling back.
66 min He curls it out towards the penalty spot, where Thiago Silva’s under-pressure header loops gently into the arms of Leno.
66 min Both sides will feel, with good reason, that this game is there for the taking. Azpilicueta wins a corner for Chelsea, to be taken by Gallagher…
66 min “Alexandra Ashton is forgetting the one other Everton supporting American we do know about,” says Tom Stratford.
I’d love to hear his views on Everton’s transfer business.
64 min Gallagher is booked for taking out Andreas.
64 min Chelsea have played some nice football in the middle of the pitch, but the final pass (or Havertz finish) has been slightly overhit.
63 min “Here is a shortened version of how this real American chose Everton,” says Mary Waltz. “Without going into the gritty details I have personal and family history with depression. When deciding on a PL team to support I came across a Guardian article on EFC setting up a walk-in centre to help with mental health issues in Liverpool. That made me adopt the Blues.”
I’ll be honest, I expected the answer to be that you saw them beat Rapid Vienna in 1985 and fell in love with Kevin Sheedy. But I think this is even better.
60 min: Double substitution for Chelsea Cesar Azpilicueta and Raheem Sterling replace Reece James and Hakim Ziyech. Madueke has moved to the right wing.
59 min Willian, who is having a minor stormer, charges infield from the left, beating three players before cutting the ball back to Andreas on the edge of the box. His shot is well blocked and then Palhinha fires the rebound over from distance.
58 min Now Mount leaves a gratuitous one on Tete and is lucky not to be booked. When did Mason Mount become a tough guy?
57 min Mount nicks the ball off Palhinha, 40 yards from the Fulham goal, and is fuming when the referee gives a free-kick.
55 min “How hot would you say Potter’s seat would become if Chelsea can’t pull out a win today?” says Michael Weller. “To clarify: I don’t think he should be fired if the result isn’t good today, but then again I’m not the one who wrote 78 bazillion pounds worth of cheques in the window…”
I think that unless Chelsea descend into abject farce, Potter will be there at the start of next season. Partly because it’s the right thing to do, partly because the owners will lose so much credibility if they bin off another manager shortly after giving him a £300m gift.
54 min: Fine defending from Tete! James plays a one-two with Gallagher and angles a terrific first-time cross towards Madueke at the far post. Tete gets in front of him to behind for a corner. That probably saved a goal.
52 min Madueke surges promisingly infield from the left but then slightly overhits a reverse through pass towards Havertz.
52 min The VAR check is complete.
51 min Andreas is booked for launching Cucurella up in the air. I think he got a bit of the ball but his studs were showing and he followed through into the ankle of Cucurella. In fact, there’s a VAR check for a red card.
50 min A superb cross from De Cordova-Reid just evades Mitrovic, who is expertly blocked off at the far post by Thiago.
49 min It’s been a bit stop-start since the resumption.
46 min Willian has a shot at goal after 14 seconds. He beat three players on an excellent run before driving a low shot back across goal from the edge of the area. Kepa got down to his right to make a comfortable save.
46 min Peep peep! Fulham begin the second half.
