Chelsea vs Fulham LIVE! Friendly result, match stream, latest ...

31 Jul 2023

Yahoo Eurosport UK

Chelsea vs Fulham updates GOAL! Nkunku taps home a second GOAL! Thiago Silva heads home the opener 21:44 , Alex Young Reece James and Thiago Silva lift the trophy together.

Chelsea vs Fulham LIVE!

The Premier League Summer Series tonight concludes in the United States with an intriguing London derby. A win tonight for the Blues could see them claim the pre-season friendly tournament Stateside in a welcome boost with less than two weeks until the new campaign kicks off.

Mauricio Pochettino will be pleased with how his squad have performed over the pond, especially new forwards Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson, as he enjoys an unbeaten start to life as manager. Fulham, meanwhile, are yet to win in America having lost to both Brentford and Aston Villa, while also navigating speculation over the futures of manager Marco Silva - who is staying put - and star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic - who is back with the squad but unsure for how long.

Will Chelsea secure silverware before the real work starts in a fortnight, or can Fulham replicate their win over the Blues from just six months ago? Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Nizaar Kinsella at the FedEx Field in Maryland.

Chelsea vs Fulham updates

GOAL! Nkunku taps home a second
GOAL! Thiago Silva heads home the opener

21:44 , Alex Young

Reece James and Thiago Silva lift the trophy together. Quite the muted celebrations, lads.

Full-time!

21:36 , Alex Young

93min: That’s it! Chelsea are Premier League Summer Series, er, champions!

21:34 , Alex Young

89min: Casadei goes down in the area but the referee is not interested. Two minutes added on.

21:28 , Alex Young

84min: It’s fair to say this half has not been quite as thrilling as the first. Chelsea back down to first gear, apart from Jackson.

Fulham fans should be concerned.

21:21 , Alex Young

80min: Angelo Gabriel looks to carve open a shooting opportunity after cutting in on his left and into the area, but is crowded out.

Jackson just doesn’t stop moving, always pressing.

21:19 , Alex Young

75min: Jackson is so lively! He almost grabs a goal with a smart finish at the far post, but he is slightly off balance.

Story continues

21:15 , Alex Young

71min: After a quick chat to Tim Ream, we are back under way.

21:14 , Alex Young

69min: Another water break. Fulham need a spark from somewhere, look weeks off it.

21:09 , Alex Young

65min: Hall is tripped around 30 yards out and James fancies this free kick.

A short run-up... but his effort fizzes wide.

21:05 , Alex Young

61min: Hall, Bergstrom and Gilchrist are on.

21:03 , Alex Young

59min: Chalobah is down receiving treatment. James, who is captain, is having a word with Pochettino.

21:01 , Alex Young

56min: Almost a third for Chelsea as Maatsen runs through on goal, but he has timed his run slightly early and is flagged offside.

20:55 , Alex Young

50min: Jackson really has got something, y’know. Full of confidence and almost scores within four minutes of coming on after skipping into the area from out wide but is shot is blocked.

20:51 , Alex Young

47min: And now Angelo Gabriel is on.

20:50 , Alex Young

46min: Another four subs as Casadei, Gallagher, Jackson and Maatsen come on.

20:50 , Alex Young

46min: ...and we are back underway!

20:49 , Alex Young

Jimenez and Bassey are both coming on for Fulham.

20:48 , Alex Young

James, Cucurella, Chalobah and Colwill all coming on as Chelsea change their entire defence.

20:45 , Alex Young

The second half is coming up. Surely some changes in store.

20:37 , Alex Young

Chelsea have barely had to get out of second gear and find themselves 2-0 up, which is a worry for Fulham who have not created a chance of note.

Chilwell is enjoying himself on the left, getting an assist and denied a goal by a fine Leno save. Chukwuemeka is lively.

20:34 , Alex Young

47min: That’s your lot. A cruise for Chelsea.

20:33 , Alex Young

45min: One minute added on.

Nizaar Kinsella at FedEx Field

20:33 , Alex Young

“Can see why Marco Silva is calling for more talent at Fulham. They look quite short especially after Joao Palhinha’s injury.”

20:32 , Alex Young

44min: A pause in play as now Tete is down injured.

20:31 , Alex Young

42min: Chelsea have one hand on the cup.

GOAL!

20:29 , Alex Young

41min: There’s the second! Nkunku taps into an empty net after some lovely footwork from Chukwuemeka to steal the ball off Fulham and then carve open space for a shot, which was parried.

20:24 , Alex Young

38min: Enzo had to score!

A brilliant break sees Chelsea flood forward and work the ball inside to Nkunku, who opts to lay in Enzo rather than shoot but the effort is straight at Leno.

A sitter.

20:22 , Alex Young

35min: Another half chance as Willian’s corner meets De Fougerolles’s head, but he timed the jump poorly and gets underneath it.

20:19 , Alex Young

32min: First real opportunity for Fulham as Willian finds Wilson inside the area, but a poor first touch allows Chelsea to clear.

20:17 , Alex Young

30min: A thunderous effort from Chilwell is well saved by Leno, and Sterling’s follow-up is diverted behind for a corner.

20:15 , Alex Young

26min: Back under way with a Mexican wave. Chelsea still bossing possession.

20:12 , Alex Young

24min: A drinks break, which allows Pochettino to delivery some insight. He wants more short passes into midfield and Enzo to play more on the front foot.

Nizaar Kinsella at FedEx Field

20:10 , Alex Young

“Chelsea have been awful at set pieces for a while so promising to see Thiago Silva pop up and head in Ben Chilwell’s corner. They are on course to win the Premier League Summer Series.”

GOAL!

20:07 , Alex Young

20min: First real chance, first goal! Thiago Silva heads home the opener from Chilwell’s corner delivery.

20:05 , Alex Young

18min: Cairney has gone down again and will not be forced off. Decordova-Reid replaces him.

20:04 , Alex Young

15min: It’s not quite clicking for either team at the moment with quarter of an hour in. Not a lot of movement.

19:58 , Alex Young

11min: A pause in play as Cairney has gone down clutching his hamstring. That’s a bit of a worry.

19:55 , Alex Young

7min: A slow start to this game, with Fulham seemingly happy for Chelsea to pass the ball around defence and midfield.

19:50 , Alex Young

3min: Half a chance for Chelsea in the opening minutes as Chukwuemeka tries to feed Burstow into the area but the pass is slightly overhit.

Kick-off

19:47 , Alex Young

1min: Here we go!

19:46 , Alex Young

Kevin Durant does the traditional pre-match coin flop, and fumbles it - which is a tad surprising.

19:42 , Alex Young

Here come the teams! It’s almost time.

19:39 , Alex Young

So, whoever wins tonight will win the inaugural Premier League Summer Series. But, if it’s a draw, Aston Villa will claim the trophy on goal difference.

19:37 , Alex Young

It appears to be a very Chelsea-heavy crowd in Maryland. So much so, I’m yet to see a Fulham shirt on the TV coverage.

19:33 , Alex Young

The players are back in their dressing rooms ahead of kick-off. Not long now.

Durant is a Blue!

19:30 , Alex Young

Another new signing for Chelsea ahead of kick-off. They just cannot stop spending.

Nizaar Kinsella at the FedEx Field

19:24 , Alex Young

“There is still no Madueke for Chelsea today. Hopefully he makes the Dortmund game in three days’ time.”

19:23 , Alex Young

It’s pretty miserable weather back in London but not so in Maryland where it’s a balmy 28C.

Nizaar Kinsella checks in

19:13 , Alex Young

Here’s our man in Maryland.

Fulham go strong

19:10 , Alex Young

It's a strong line-up from Fulham, who are captained by Tom Cairney.

Willian starts against his former club, with summer signings Raul Jimenez and Calvin Bassey on the bench.

Young Blues

19:00 , Alex Young

So, a few surprises from Mauricio Pochettino.

Gabriel Slonina gets the nod in goal, behind a defence including Malo Gusto and Bashir Humphreys.

Enzo Fernandes and Andrey Santos are paired in midfield for the first time, while Mason Burstow starts in attack alongside Raheem Sterling and Christopher Nkunku.

Fulham XI

18:46 , Alex Young

And here’s Fulham.

18:45 , Alex Young

Here’s how the Blues look.

18:37 , Alex Young

Marco Silva has also given an update on his midfielder Joao Palhinha, who suffered a shoulder injury in the recent friendly against Brentford.

He said: “It will be difficult for him to be available for the first Premier League match.

“We have to see week by week how he is going. He is getting better every day. He is not working on the pitch. He is doing some gym and we will see if we can get him on the pitch next week.”

Silva dismisses Mitrovic concerns

18:26 , Alex Young

Marco Silva has vented his frustration at Fulham’s transfer activity but has no concerns over reintegrating Aleksandar Mitrovic after his return.

The 28-year-old is back training with Fulham in the United States after seeing two bids from Al-Hilal rejected.

Mitrovic wants a move to Saudi Arabia which would see him triple his wages but Al-Hilal are reluctant to pay over £50m.

Silva is happy to have Mitrovic back with the group and dismissed concerns about his mindset.

He told reporters: “Yes, Mitrovic is back. It is a process and it is not an easy situation. I am not here to talk about the negotiations and clubs that are linked with him. He is with the group since two days ago. Let’s hope we get him as fit as we can in the next few days.

Read more here!

Pochettino: We need a smaller squad

18:15 , Alex Young

Mauricio Pochettino has spoken about the dynamics in his squad ahead of the end of their pre-season tour.

"At the moment the dynamic is very good, really good guys and they are sharing the time together," he said. "What we cannot have is a massive squad, players not be involved and then it's going to create a mess in the squad.

"It is difficult because sometimes in every game three, four, five players cannot play and that is difficult because the mood is difficult. It is about creating a squad with good balance and people who have the opportunity to play and can compete for their place.

"Maybe less is more and more is less, it is not mathematic. That is why I need to make clear we don't need a big squad."

Anyway, Chelsea are set to sign two more players.

Chelsea to sign Disasi

18:01 , Alex Young

As the current crop of players prepare for tonight’s game, Chelsea have been busy securing another new face.

Nizaar reports that a £38.6million deal to sign defender Axel Disasi has been agreed with AS Monaco.

The 25-year-old has been signed following a serious injury to Wesley Fofana, who has been sidelined for the foreseeable.

The Blues have acted decisively as both Manchester United and Arsenal were tracking the four-time France international.

Disasi will complete a medical and sign a long-term deal at Stamford Bridge in the coming days.

Read more here!

Score prediction

17:45 , Alex Young

While Chelsea struggled against their rivals last season, things look different now.

These are early days of course but Jackson appears to have made an instant impact and can continue his form tonight.

Chelsea to win 2-1.

17:34 , Alex Young

Fulham have welcome Aleksandr Mitrovic back into the squad, but he will not be involved tonight due to the ongoing transfer speculation.

The striker has reportedly said he would never play for Fulham again after they rejected multiple bids from Saudi Arabia for his services.

Joao Palhinha is missing with a shoulder injury, and will not return before the first game of the season.

Chelsea team news

17:29 , Alex Young

Noni Madueke could return for Chelsea today as he looks for his first minutes under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.

The 21-year-old could be included in a front line with Raheem Sterling, Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson.

Reece James played 65 minutes in Chelsea’s previous friendly in the Premier League Summer Series, a 1-1 draw against Newcastle in Atlanta but may not start tonight.

Malo Gusto, Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill and Ben Chilwell could all come into the backline in place of James, Trevoh Chalobah, Bashir Humphreys and Marc Cucurella.

Enzo Fernandez may be partnered with Andrey Santos for the first time, with Conor Gallagher also possibly recalled.