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Chelsea beat Fulham 2-0 in controversial derby to go top of Premier League

Chelsea claimed a 2-0 victory over Fulham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, but the result was marred by a string of contentious refereeing decisions that left visiting boss Marco Silva visibly frustrated.

Fulham thought they had taken the lead in the first half when youngster Josh King found the net, only for VAR to disallow the strike after Rodrigo Muniz was adjudged to have stamped on Trevoh Chalobah in the buildup.

The setback grew worse for Silva’s men when Chelsea went ahead in the ninth minute of stoppage time, one beyond the initial allocation, through Joao Pedro’s header from a corner.

Silva was seen remonstrating with referee Rob Jones over the added time.

The controversy didn’t end there. Early in the second half, VAR intervened again to award Chelsea a penalty after Ryan Sessegnon was penalised for a handball.

Enzo Fernandez converted from the spot to double the Blues’ advantage.

Despite Fulham’s efforts to fight back, they were unable to overcome the two-goal deficit.

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‘So Good’ – Palmer hails two Chelsea new signings

Cole Palmer has praised Chelsea’s summer signings, singling out Joao Pedro and Liam Delap as standout additions while insisting the Blues “should be winning trophies” this season under Enzo Maresca.

After a turbulent spell midway through last campaign, Maresca guided Chelsea to Champions League qualification, a Conference League triumph over Real Betis, and Club World Cup glory against Europe’s elite Paris Saint-Germain.

Those successes, Palmer believes, have raised expectations at Stamford Bridge.

“The way the club’s going, the direction, everyone’s excited. We should be winning trophies.”

Among the £250m worth of arrivals, Palmer says he has already developed strong chemistry with Pedro, who joined from Brighton in a £60m deal.

“He’s so good, man. I love playing with him,” Palmer said. “Even in training we just have good chemistry and know where each other are going to be. To see it in person was really good.”

Palmer also backed Delap, signed from Ipswich Town for £30m, to offer Chelsea a different attacking option.

“He’s something different… more old-school, aggressive, runs in behind. He’s a handful for defenders and one of the best finishers I’ve seen,” Palmer said. “Hopefully those two together score some goals between them.”

Chelsea, who opened their Premier League campaign with a goalless draw against Crystal Palace, face West Ham and Fulham in back-to-back London derbies later this month.

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EPL: Chelsea survive Crystal Palace test, begin campaign with goalless draw

Chelsea began their Premier League campaign with a goalless draw against Crystal Palace in a London derby at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The Blues were handed a reprieve after Eberechi Eze’s first-half free-kick for Palace was disallowed following a VAR review.

Eze struck a thunderous effort that appeared to give the visitors the lead, but the goal was overturned when replays showed Marc Guehi had committed a foul in the build-up.

The Blues struggled to create clear chances, with a series of corners easily dealt with by Palace and Cole Palmer largely ineffective in attack.

Substitute Estevão Willian provided some energy after replacing Jamie Gittens, but his runs down the flank failed to break down the visitors’ defence as Chelsea laboured in the final third.

The London derby ended with Chelsea avoiding a major scare but still searching for a cutting edge in their attacking play.

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Chelsea to donate part of Club World Cup bonus to Jota, Silva’s family

Chelsea players and staff have agreed to donate part of their Club World Cup prize money to the family of late footballers Diogo Jota and André Silva.

The squad earned an £11.4m bonus share from the £87m winners’ prize and will contribute a portion to support the family, in a move jointly decided by the club and its players, reports SkySports.

Tributes to the two Portuguese players are expected during the Premier League’s opening weekend.

Recall Jota, a Liverpool winger, and his brother Silva, who played for Penafiel, died in a car crash in Spain on July 3.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot last week praised the football community’s response to the tragedy, describing the loss as deeply felt across the club and beyond.

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Delap, Joao Pedro strike as Chelsea thrash Milan 4-1 in pre-season finale

Chelsea wrapped up their pre-season with a 4-1 win over AC Milan at Stamford Bridge to claim the VisitMalta Weekender trophy.

The Blues took the lead after just five minutes when Andrei Coubis turned the ball into his own net.

Joao Pedro quickly doubled the advantage, continuing his strong start since joining the club.

The Brazilian now has a total of five goals in five games for the Blues.

Coubis’ night deteriorated further as he received a straight red card in the 18th minute for denying Pedro a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Liam Delap extended Chelsea’s lead from the penalty spot just past the hour mark before Youssouf Fofana pulled one back for Milan.

In stoppage time, Delap struck again to complete his brace and seal a convincing win for Enzo Maresca’s side ahead of new season opener against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

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Brighton owner explains selling top players to Chelsea

Brighton and Hove Albion CEO Tony Bloom has explained why he frequently sells the club’s best players to Premier League rivals Chelsea.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Bloom described Chelsea as his “best customer,” noting the club’s consistent return for Brighton talent.

The latest transfer saw Brazilian forward Joao Pedro join the Blues this summer in a £50 million deal.

Pedro, who made an instant impact at the Club World Cup, chose Chelsea over Newcastle United.

When asked if there was a special relationship with Chelsea, Bloom said: “We wish Joao well. And, you know, Chelsea have got loyalty points with me. They keep coming back.”

Among other players sold to Chelsea from Brighton include, Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo, and Robert Sanchez.

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Transfer: Osimhen’s Move In Doubt With Chelsea Unwilling To Pay New Players Over £70,000

Chelsea are not prepared to offer contracts exceeding £70,000 per week to new players.

According to Sky Sports transfer chief, Kaveh Solhekol, the club is not interested in signing players who demand £200,000-a-week or £300,000-a-week contracts.

With Enzo Maresca looking to add a striker to his squad, Chelsea have been linked with Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney of Brentford.

But it now appears the deal for Toney would be easier to do, as Osimhen is reluctant to take a pay cut.

According to Solhekol, “the average wage of their new signing is between £60,000-a-week and £70,000-a-week.

“That is the base wage before you add in bonuses.

“I think there is a feeling that Ivan Toney is willing to fit into that wage structure. Also, he’s coming from a club like Brentford who are not famed for paying massive wages.”

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EPL: Shut Up – Chelsea Striker, Nicolas Jackson Slams Mikel Obi Over Criticisms

Chelsea striker, Nicolas Jackson has replied club legend, John Mikel Obi.
He warned Obi to “shut up” following his criticisms against him.
Jackson took to his Instagram page to write Obi following their 6-2 win over Wolves.
The Chelsea forward, who scored just 98 seconds into the match, expressed his frustration with Obi after the Nigerian’s critical comments about him.
Jackson wrote, “Shut your mouth. Don’t talk sh**, we are killing ourselves for Africa,” adding heart, football, and world emojis, and tagging Mikel.
This response comes after Obi, who won multiple trophies including the Champions League with Chelsea, had criticised Jackson’s performance following Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City. Jackson missed several chances in that game.

Obi had noted, “We’ve played OK, we haven’t played perfect, but we’ve played OK. We created chances, we haven’t taken them. And just an example of how Jackson finishes.”

He continued, “You can see there, even though he was offside, he dribbles past one or two or three players and the way he shot the ball!”
Obi added, “I know I talk so much about him and sometimes I sound like I disrespect him. I don’t disrespect him. I think at Chelsea Football Club we need a top striker who can get us a goal. A bit like Haaland, 91 goals for City, that’s absolutely unbelievable.”
 
He concluded, “You need a striker who knows how to hit a ball back in the net and that’s what we don’t have.”
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Madueke Scores Hattrick Against Wolves to Help Chelsea Secure Huge Win

Noni Madueke was the star of the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers after netting a hattrick.
Recall that Chelsea beat Wolves 6-2 away in a frenetic Premier League clash at Molineux on Sunday.
Enzo Maresca’s side led twice in the first half with goals by Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer but both times Wolves deservedly hit back through Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Wolves fell part after the break however, and Madueke took the game beyond them with three goals in 15 minutes, all of them assisted by the excellent Palmer.
Joao Felix came off the bench to mark his return to the club with his side’s sixth goal.
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Transfer: Osimhen Demands £500,000-A-Week To Join Chelsea

Nigerian international superstar, Victor Osimhen’s move from Napoli to Chelsea could be off due to his huge wage demands.

According to The Sun, Osimhen is asking the Blues for £500,000-a-week to sign for them this week.

The Nigerian striker is also not keen to move on loan.

This has led to Chelsea exploring other striker options with less than one week left in the summer market.

They are looking at Federico Chiesa, who has been exiled at Juventus, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has one year left on his current deal at Everton.

Osimhen is also attracting interest from Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.