New Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior watched from the stands as Harry Wilson’s fine finish condemned his team to defeat against West London rivals Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Rosenior was not appointed in time to take charge but took a watching brief and may have feared the worst when Marc Cucurella was sent off early on.
Chelsea fell behind to Raul Jimenez’s header after 55 minutes, but Liam Delap levelled from four yards when the ball bounced back to him off the left post from a corner, after Antonee Robinson almost headed into his own net.
With nine minutes remaining, Wilson beat Jorrel Hato with a smart touch just inside the penalty area before half-volleying the ball into the left corner beyond Robert Sanchez. Under the direction of caretaker manager Calum McFarlane, Chelsea had been left with a mountain to climb from the 22nd minute when Cucurella pulled down Wilson and was red-carded for what was judged to be a professional foul.
It was Chelsea’s eighth dismissal of the season in all competitions, including one for former boss Enzo Maresca who was deemed to be over-celebrating in October after a last-minute winner against Liverpool. There were signs of anger in the away end, with a ‘BlueCo out’ banner displayed and chants against the ownership as they watched on alongside their new appointment Rosenior.
Defeat means Chelsea fall to seventh place in the Premier League, below Brentford, while Fulham join them on 31 points from 21 games.
