Fulham claimed local bragging rights with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Chelsea at Craven Cottage, capitalising on an early red card and a late moment of quality from Harry Wilson to secure the points in front of a raucous home crowd.
The match was watched closely by incoming Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior, who saw his new side undone by a familiar combination of indiscipline and fine margins. Chelsea were reduced to 10 men midway through the first half when Marc Cucurella hauled down Wilson as the Welshman broke clear, leaving the referee little choice but to show a red card.
Before that moment, Chelsea had begun with intent and nearly struck first when Andrey Santos rattled the crossbar from a corner. That chance only heightened the sense of frustration that followed, as the dismissal shifted both the balance of the contest and the mood inside the stadium.
Fulham, lining up once again with a back three, gradually took control. Wilson thought he had made the breakthrough just before the interval, only for the effort to be ruled out after an offside call earlier in the move. The pressure, however, finally told after the restart.
Raúl Jiménez opened the scoring with a superbly judged header, rising above the Chelsea defence to steer the ball home and reward Fulham’s growing dominance. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Chelsea showed resilience and found a route back into the game when Liam Delap marked his Premier League breakthrough with a composed finish, briefly silencing the home support.
That hope proved short-lived.
With Fulham pushing forward and Chelsea struggling to hold their shape, Wilson delivered the decisive moment. Cutting inside and shooting from range, his effort took a slight deflection on its way into the bottom corner, sending Craven Cottage into celebration and underlining his outstanding form in recent weeks.
The win lifts Fulham into the top half of the table and continues a run of impressive derby performances. Wilson, now with nine goal contributions in his last 10 appearances, was again the standout, combining energy, intelligence and end product.
For Chelsea, the defeat extends a worrying run to just one victory in nine league matches. Interim coach Calum McFarlane praised his players’ effort after the red card but acknowledged that moments of quality ultimately decided the contest.
Fulham manager Marco Silva was effusive in his praise of Wilson, describing the winger as being in the best spell of his career and urging supporters to enjoy his current level of performance.
As Rosenior prepares to formally take charge at Stamford Bridge, this derby defeat offered a clear snapshot of the challenges awaiting him — while Fulham continue to build momentum and confidence under Silva.
