Pedro pounces, Fernández finishes: Chelsea grind through VAR turbulence

Chelsea overcame a ragged opening and a VAR-heavy afternoon to defeat Fulham 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, João Pedro’s header in the ninth minute of first-half stoppage time and Enzo Fernández’s second-half penalty deciding a derby that kept pausing for replays. Rob Jones, prompted by VAR Michael Salisbury, had earlier ruled out a Josh King strike for the visitors, but Enzo Maresca’s side kept their heads and made the stoppages count.

This was a test of depth and resilience. Liam Delap’s hamstring injury after 11 minutes left Chelsea light up front, academy forward Tyrique George asked to shoulder the workload amid transfer churn. Fernández’s corner found João Pedro right on the interval, and the Argentine later buried a penalty to secure an important win before the international break.

Finding a way on a threadbare day

The day had already underlined shifting pieces in attack—Christopher Nkunku’s move to Milan confirmed and Nicolas Jackson close to a loan to Bayern Munich. When Delap pulled up early, Maresca looked past big-money recruit Jamie Gittens and turned to George, keeping the structure intact as Chelsea rode out the opening storm.

Through the disjointed rhythm and repeated reviews, the home side stayed focused. Moisés Caicedo’s key intervention on Timothy Castagne snuffed out one of Fulham’s best moments, Robert Sánchez handled the aerial traffic, and a late run of corners flipped the narrative at precisely the right time.

João Pedro’s leap and Fernández’s nerve

Deep into stoppage time, Fernández’s delivery was precise and João Pedro’s leap better, the deft header beyond Bernd Leno his fifth goal in five starts since arriving from Brighton. He already has two goals and two assists in his first three league matches under Maresca, a seamless fit in the new patterns.

Early in the second half, another drawn-out intervention ended with Rob Jones pointing to the spot after Trevoh Chalobah’s ball struck Ryan Sessegnon’s raised arm—officials also cleared a possible João Pedro handball and a Caicedo foul in the buildup. Fernández stepped up and dispatched the penalty, a composed finish on a day when his emotions ran hot, from ripping off the captain’s armband to shushing part of the East Stand.

Storms weathered, standards set

Fulham’s disallowed goal on 21 minutes—Muniz’s contact on Chalobah deemed a 'careless challenge' after a VAR prompt—will dominate headlines. From a Chelsea viewpoint, the response was the hallmark: absorb the chaos, find set-piece precision, and manage the tempo after the break.

With Leno repelling efforts from João Pedro and Estêvão Willian, and Marco Silva introducing Raúl Jiménez and Harry Wilson to chase, the game demanded concentration. Chelsea’s structure held and the cleaner passages belonged to Maresca’s side in the closing stages.

Platform to build on

If early assessments prove right and Delap faces six to eight weeks out, the burden up front will be heavier while Cole Palmer remains absent. João Pedro’s form is a timely buffer—he is the first Chelsea player to score five or more across his first five starts since Tammy Abraham in 2019.

It was not pristine, and the stop-start nature helped neither side, but the essentials—resilience, set-piece execution, and nerve—were present and decisive. With the break looming, Chelsea carry a clean sheet, momentum, and a proof-of-concept for Maresca’s blueprint into the weeks ahead.