Chelsea vs Fulham LIVE: Premier League result and final score as Blues held to goalless draw
Chelsea 0-0 Fulham: Graham Potter’s side were held by the well-organised visitors as January’s record-breaking spending failed to lead to attacking inspiration
Enzo Fernandez’s Chelsea debut ended in anti-climax as Fulham earned a worthy 0-0 draw against Graham Potter’s side at Stamford Bridge.
The hosts’ £106.5million deadline day signing was kept largely subdued as Potter’s team failed to substantially improve upon their mid-table Premier League position and saw their indifferent form extend to one win in six in the competition.
Fulham proved it is not necessary to spend in excess of £500m to sit in the upper reaches of the top flight, with Marco Silva’s well-drilled team making the hosts look toothless at times at the end of a week in which they broke the British transfer record to land World Cup-winner Fernandez.
It leaves Chelsea stranded in ninth and already struggling to hold on to the optimism generated by owner Todd Boehly’s whirlwind £315m investment during the January transfer window.
Follow all the action as Chelsea host Fulham at Stamford Bridge:
Will Enzo Fernandez play?
Chelsea have arrived at Stamford Bridge with new signing Enzo Fernandez in tow. The Blues were waiting for confirmation that he would be able to play tonight after signing for the club on deadline day and it seems he’s being included in the squad.
Graham Potter explains how he plans to keep Chelsea’s new-look squad happy
Graham Potter accepted there will be frustration amongst some of his players as he begins the task of integrating Chelsea’s new signings following a whirlwind January transfer window.
The deadline-day arrival of Enzo Fernandez for a British-record fee took the club’s signings during the window to eight, and Potter must decide by 11pm on Thursday which three of those he will include in his Champions League squad.
Potter admitted there will be “awkward conversations” to be had, with problems over selection from his bloated squad inevitably spilling over into the club’s Premier League campaign, with 33 first-team players on the books.
Graham Potter explains how he plans to keep Chelsea’s new-look squad happy
The deadline-day arrival of Enzo Fernandez took the club’s intake during the transfer window to eight.
Graham Potter on Enzo Fernandez
Chelsea boss, Graham Potter, spoke about the Blues’ new British transfer record signing Enzo Fernandez and what he will bring to Stamford Bridge.
“He’s still young, coming to this country you have to adapt, you have adapt to the club, so it doesn’t matter what the fee is, that still has to happen, but we will help him with that,” said Potter.
“And his personality is one that makes you think you have no concerns with him. He’s a fighter. He understands how fortunate he is. He fights for the team, he’s not afraid, he’s got courage, he’s open-minded, he wants to improve.
“If you can play in the six for Argentina, and play in the big games he has, at his age, and with the quality he has shown, it’s not straightforward.”
Marco Silva on facing Chelsea again
Fulham defeated Chelsea three weeks ago in the Premier League and defeated them 2-1 at Craven Cottage. The Cottagers boss was asked whether his team can repeat that performance or if he expects tonight’s match to be different.
“If you ask me if it’s a different, but more difficult, challenge for us – definitely. We played three weeks ago, and after that result of course it will be more difficult for us,” said Silva,
“Not just because we are playing away from home, but we know the quality they have. It’s a moment for them to adjust things and to prepare the game against us, and we know that they are going to be stronger in that game.
“And, for that reason, we have to be stronger than the game we played against them at home. Of course it will be different in certain areas of the pitch, with a different profile of players as well.”
Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp baffled by scale of Chelsea spending
Rival managers Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have expressed their bafflement over Chelsea’s recent levels of spending.
The London club took their outlay since the summer past £500million with their British record £106.8m signing of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica on deadline day.
This spending, all since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital takeover at Stamford Bridge last year, has raised questions over how the club will meet Financial Fair Play requirements.
Manchester City manager Guardiola has suggested his club, given their past issues with FFP, would have faced considerable criticism and scrutiny had they done the same.
Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp baffled by scale of Chelsea spending
Todd Boehly’s consortium has spent over £500m on players since arriving at Stamford Bridge, including a British record £106.8m on Enzo Fernandez
Chelsea vs Fulham prediction
Graham Potter is still trying to find the right combination of players to make Chelsea a formidable force once again and his job has gotten harder following a number of expensive January signings.
The Blues have underperformed this season and come up against a surging Fulham side who - despite two recent defeats - are in fine form and full of confidence. Marco Silva’s men will believe they can get something out of this match and things may just turn out that way.
Chelsea 1-1 Fulham.
Chelsea vs Fulham predicted line-ups
Chelsea XI: Kepa; Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Badiashile; Azpilicueta, Hall, Gallagher, Cucurella; Mount, Mudryk, Havertz
Fulham XI: Leno; Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Palhinha, Reed, Andreas Pereira; Decordova-Reid, Mitrovic, Willian
What is the early team news?
Chelsea are waiting to hear whether deadline-day record signing Enzo Fernandez will receive clearance in time to play against Fulham, which could leave Chelsea short in midfield with Jorginho having joined Arsenal on deadline day.
Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Raheem Sterling and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are available to return to the bench but are not yet ready to play 90 minutes, while Wesley Fofana is training with the rest of the squad.
Fulham manager Marco Silva will have his two new signings Cedric Soares and Sasa Lukic available to face their local rivals.
However, with Lukic only arriving at the club 24 hours before the match, he may not be in contention for a starting spot. Neeskens Kebano remains on Fulham’s long-term injury list.
How to watch Chelsea vs Fulham
The match will kick-off at 8pm GMT on Friday 3 February.
It will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League, with coverage beginning at 7pm. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
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Chelsea vs Fulham
Good evening and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Premier League action as Chelsea take on Fulham at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues are languishing 10th in the table and need to string together a run of positive performances if they hope to challenge for the Champions League spot come the end of the season. They’ve been given a boost by some ungodly spending from owner Todd Boehly who has brought in over £300m worth of players in January alone.
New signings such as Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile and Enzo Fernandez may help get Chelsea out of their slump but Graham Potter is faced with a tricky task of fitting all the new players into the team as well as dealing with the egos of such a large squad.
In contrast Fulham are thriving under Marco Silva. They come into the match two points ahead of Chelsea and seventh in the table which is an incredibly impressive effort for the newly promoted side. However, they have lost their last two league games - to Tottenham and Newcastle - so will be keen to get more points on the board tonight.
Their last victory was against Chelsea a couple of weeks ago. Joao Felix shone on his debut for the Blues but got sent off at Craven Cottage allowing Fulham the impetous they needed to go on and seal a famous 2-1 victory. Can the Cottagers repeat that performance at Stamford Bridge tonight?
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