Mount’s second-half goal earns Chelsea a 1-0 win over 10-man Fulham. The visitors dominated throughout and it was Mount who came closest in the first half when he hit the crossbar with his shot. Fulham were a man down for the second half due to Robinson’s red card in the 44th minute. Chelsea kept pushing in the second half and Mount sealed the three points with a volley.
90′ + 6′ FULL-TIME: FULHAM 0-1 CHELSEA.
90′ + 4′ GREAT CHANCE! Chelsea break quickly on the counter following a Fulham corner and Werner has a clear run to goal. He’s one-on-one with Areola, who comes rushing off his line, and he sends his shot around the keeper and wide of the far post.
90′ + 4′ Azpilicueta slides in late on Lookman and is shown a yellow card.
90′ + 2′ CHANCE! Pulisic manages to put the ball back into the middle of the box from the byline and nobody picks up Azpilicueta’s run onto it. He hits the shot first time, but sends his effort sailing over the crossbar.
90′ Pulisic tries to dribble past Andersen, but he sticks a foot out to take it off him, only to find Mount. He has a go from long-range, but his effort is blocked by Bryan and put out for a Chelsea corner.
88′ Lookman catches Azpilicueta with a late challenge and has his name taken by the referee.
87′ Anguissa brings the ball down for Kamara and he does well to keep hold of it under pressure from Kovacic. He plays a one-two with Reed to open up some space on the edge of the box, but it’s a comfortable save for Mendy down the middle.
85′ There’s too much on Kovacic’s cross and Werner is forced wide of the goal. He holds it up well until Abraham gets there and squares it to him, but his first touch lets him down and Kamara comes away with it for Fulham.
83′ Bryan is also brought on to replace Aina.
A. Kamara
B. De Cordova-Reid
83′ Double change for Fulham now, as Kamara comes on for De Cordova-Reid.
82′ Silva is shown a yellow card for a late challenge on Lookman.
81′ Rudiger goes long with his clearance and Pulisic manages to keep it in play on the left. He cuts inside to get away from Tete before curling a cross into the box, but it’s cleared by Aina.
79′ First change for Fulham now and it’s Cavaleiro that’s making way for Onomah.
78′ MOUNT SCORES! Chilwell’s cross is palmed away from the goal by Areola, but he gives it straight to Mount, who is unmarked in the middle. He hits the shot on the volley and the keeper can’t stop it from hitting the back of the net. 1-0 Chelsea!
77′ Chelsea work it well down the left wing, but Werner can’t find any space for a shot. He tries to pick out Abraham on the edge of the box instead, but his pass is cut out by Aina.
75′ Ziyech is also being brought off, with Hudson-Odoi on for him.
75′ Double change for Chelsea now and Giroud is the first to make way for Werner.
74′ Reed stayed down after a collision with Ziyech and he’s receiving treatment for a head injury. He’s sitting up again and it looks like he’ll be able to carry on.
72′ Ziyech is booked after he steps across Lookman to stop Fulham’s counter-attack.
71′ Fulham are sitting deep to try and close down the space ahead of Chelsea, so Ziyech is forced to have another shot from long range. He tries to curl it towards the near post, but it’s blocked by Andersen.
B. De Cordova-Reid
Yellow Card
69′ De Cordova-Reid slides in on Chilwell to try and win the ball back for Fulham and is shown the first yellow card of the game.
68′ Mendy comes rushing off his line to help Azpilicueta, but he gives his clearance straight to Cavaleiro. He takes a shot first-time, but Silva is in the right place to make the block.
66′ CHANCE! It’s another good cross into the box from Chilwell on the left and he picks out Abraham’s run through the middle. His header is straight at Areola though and he holds onto it.
65′ Lampard makes the first change of the game as he brings on Abraham for Jorginho.
63′ CLOSE! Mount plays a throughball into Giroud and he quickly gets his feet sorted out so he can get his shot away. He’s one-on-one with Areola, who comes rushing off his line, but he sends his effort just wide of the near post just before the offside flag goes up.
62′ Mount swings another good cross into the box and he picks out Azpilicueta in the middle. The right-back rises highest to meet it but sends his header bouncing wide of the post.
60′ Fulham just can’t get on the ball at the moment as Chelsea continue to push up the field. It’s patient play by the visitors as they try to open up the space in midfield to get into the final third.
58′ No side has seen more red cards this season in the Premier League than Fulham (three).
56′ Pulisic plays a low cross into Ziyech, who is in a pocket of space just outside the box. He sets himself for a shot before hitting his shot towards the top-right corner, but his effort is too high and doesn’t trouble Areola.
54′ Aina makes a driving run down the left and cuts inside to create some room for a shot. He pulls away from Rudiger and fires his shot towards goal, but it sails over the crossbar.
52′ Fulham are struggling to get out of their own half as Chelsea continue to pile the pressure on them. Silva plays it out to Azpilicueta on the right, and he puts a first-time cross into the box, but Andersen clears it.
50′ Ziyech plays the corner short to Pulisic before getting the return pass. He fizzes the ball into the near post, and Areola has to push it away with a strong hand to stop it from sneaking in.
48′ Chelsea have made a bright start to the second half and are forcing Fulham to sit deep in their own half. Azpilicueta finds space down the right and tries to pick out Giroud with a cross, but it’s cut out by Adarabioyo.
46′ Chelsea get us back underway for the second half!
Lampard will be pleased with how his side have performed so far and will want more of the same after the break, but they need to take more of their chances. Fulham struggled in the first half and it will be a tough test in the second with 10 men, but Parker’s side need to try and test Mendy when they get into the final third.
It’s goalless at the break between Fulham and Chelsea. The visitors had the better chances in the first half, with Giroud and Rudiger forcing good saves out of Areola. Mount came the closest when he rattled the crossbar with his effort. Fulham haven’t had a shot on target and they’ll be coming back out for the second half with 10 men after Robinson was shown a straight red for a bad tackle on Azpilicueta.
45′ + 2′ HALF-TIME: FULHAM 0-0 CHELSEA.
45′ + 1′ Azpilicueta is receiving treatment on his ankle while the VAR check confirms it was a red card, but he’s quickly back to his feet and will be able to carry on.
44′ FULHAM DOWN TO 10! Cavaleiro loses possession and Robinson tries to win it back. He flies into the challenge on Azpilicueta, completely missing the ball and taking out the right-back. The referee goes straight to his pocket and pulls out the red card.
43′ There are some shouts for a free-kick just outside the box from the Fulham players as they feel Mount pushed Cavaleiro to stop his run. The referee had a good view of it though and he waves for play to carry on.
41′ CLOSE! Fulham break quickly on the counter and Tete plays a low cross into Cavaleiro in the middle of the box. He takes the shot first time and Mendy is beaten, but his effort is just high.
40′ Chelsea don’t clear their lines after a corner and it falls to Lookman at a tight angle on the right. He tries to chip his effort over Mendy and into the far post, but he sends his effort just over the crossbar.
38′ De Cordova-Reid dribbles away from two Chelsea defenders down the right and swings a cross into the box where Lookman is waiting for it. Rudiger steps across to the near post though to put it out for a corner.
36′ Fulham are struggling to get out of their own half at the moment as Chelsea press them higher up the field. Tete tries to set De Cordova-Reid off down the right, but he can’t find a way past Chilwell.
34′ Chelsea are starting to move upfield quicker now and Pulisic spots Chilwell in space on the left. He pulls his cross back from the byline, but it’s intercepted by Aina before Mount can get to it.
32′ Kovacic goes to ground just outside the box, but Pulisic latches onto the loose ball, so the referee plays advantage. He takes the shot first time, hitting it across goal, but sends it wide of the far post.
30′ Robinson pulls away from Mount before picking out Cavaleiro on the left with a throughball. He just manages to keep it in at the byline, but he can’t pick out a team-mate with his cross and Silva clears his lines.
28′ Mount plays in Pulisic just outside the box and he tries to weave his way between Fulham’s defenders to get in on goal. He gets past Aina before Andersen steps across him to win it back for the hosts.
26′ GOOD SAVE! Ziyech swings the corner in for Chelsea and Rudiger rises highest in the middle to meet it. He flicks his header towards the far post and Areola dives across to tip it away from goal.
25′ OFF THE BAR! Chilwell’s cross is headed away by Robinson, but he gives it straight to Mount. He’s at a tight angle on the right of the box but goes for goal anyway and sends his effort rattling against the crossbar.
23′ SAVE! Silva plays a good throughball into Giroud and he touches it onto Ziyech, who is in a pocket of space just outside the box. He drills his low shot towards the bottom corner, but it’s stopped by Areola.
21′ Chelsea have got a lot of players forward as they try to put Fulham under more pressure. Pulisic swings a dangerous cross into the box, but Areola comes off his line quickly to collect it and set Fulham on the counter.
19′ Robinson fizzes a cross into the box and Lookman meets it in the middle. There are some shouts for handball from the Chelsea players but it isn’t given as the forward tries to find space. He holds onto it for too long though and Rudiger nicks it off him.
17′ Robinson’s low cross is intercepted by Rudiger, but he touches it to Lookman. He hits his shot first time only to see it blocked by Silva before Robinson’s follow-up is stopped by Azpilicueta.
15′ Fulham are keeping the ball well at the moment, but all of their possession is in front of Chelsea in their own half. Anguissa tries to switch play out to Tete on the right but overhits it straight for a throw-in.
13′ Ziyech swings another good cross into the box from the right and it’s headed away from Azpilicueta by Adarabioyo. It falls for Chilwell in the middle, and he hits it on the volley, but he sends his effort looping high and wide of the goal.
11′ In all competitions, Chelsea have lost just one of their last 19 away matches against Fulham (W12 D6) since losing four in a row between 1975 and 1977.
9′ SAVE! Mount plays a low cross to the edge of the box and Giroud runs onto it. He hits the shot first time and it’s swerving towards the far post but Areola gets across quickly to push it wide.
8′ Tete squares it to Cavaleiro on the edge of the box, but he’s being closed down quickly so he tries to lay it off to Lookman. It’s played behind him though and he can’t control it on the stretch so Chelsea clear.
6′ Aina plays a good throughball forward for De Cordova-Reid to chase and he touches it onto Tete before continuing his run into the box. The cross is played back to him, but he fouls Kovacic in his attempts to reach it.
4′ Ziyech drills his low corner to the edge of the box and Mount is unmarked as he runs onto it. He takes the shot first time, but Reed sticks out a leg to block the shot from close range.
2′ Chelsea are pushing forward down the left and Pulisic touches it into Chilwell’s path. He tries to put an early cross into the box, but Aina gets back quickly to block it and clear the danger for Fulham.
1′ De Cordova-Reid gets the game underway for Fulham!
The teams are out on the pitch now, with kick-off just moments away.
Fulham have won just one of their 28 Premier League matches against Chelsea (D10 L17), winning 1-0 in March 2006 under Chris Coleman at Craven Cottage.
Frank Lampard makes three changes to the team that lost to Manchester City last time out in the league, with Rudiger, Jorginho and Giroud coming in. Zouma and Werner drop to the bench, while N’Golo Kante misses out through suspension.
CHELSEA SUBS: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Kurt Zouma, Timo Werner, Billy Gilmour, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Emerson, Reece James, Tammy Abraham, Kai Havertz.
CHELSEA STARTING XI (4-3-3): Edouard Mendy; Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell; Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, Mason Mount; Hakim Ziyech, Olivier Giroud, Christian Pulisic.
FULHAM SUBS: Josh Onomah, Denis Odoi, Joe Bryan, Aboubakar Kamara, Marek Rodak, Neeskens Kebano, Michael Hector, Tim Ream.
FULHAM STARTING XI (3-5-2): Alphonse Areola; Ola Aina, Joachim Andersen, Tosin Adarabioyo; Kenny Tete, Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Harrison Reed, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Antonee Robinson; Ivan Cavaleiro, Ademola Lookman.
Chelsea have slipped away from the top four in recent weeks, having lost four of their last six in the Premier League (W1 D1). They come into this game on the back of a win though after beating Morecambe 4-0 in the FA Cup last weekend. They face a Fulham side who have drawn their last five league games and are without a win since a 2-1 victory over Leicester City at the end of November.
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Premier League meeting between Fulham and Chelsea at Craven Cottage!
That win ends a three-match winless run in the league for Chelsea and moves them up to seventh in the table, just three points off the top four. Next up for them is a trip to Leicester City in midweek. As for Fulham, they’re winless in seven in the Premier League and are four points from safety. Their attention now turns to another tough test against Manchester United on Wednesday.