Mason Mount broke Fulham hearts as his late strike secured all three points for Chelsea in a 1-0 win at Craven Cottage.
The west London derby was a tight and turgid affair, with Scott Parker’s side reduced to ten men after Antonee Robinson saw red for a rash challenge on Cesar Azpilicueta.
AFP
Despite having to play more than 45 minutes with ten men, the Cottagers displayed the sort of resilience which is slowly but surely starting to compliment their strong attacking play.
However, the deadlock was finally broken on the banks of the Thames with little more than ten minutes remaining when Ben Chilwell’s cross was palmed away by Alphonse Areola straight into Mount’s path to volley home.
Frank Lampard’s side move up to seventh in the table after claiming a vital three points, to keep the pressure on the likes of Tottenham, Everton and Leicester in the race for the Champions League places.
For Fulham, they remain in the relegation places after their ninth defeat of the season and face a daunting visit to Old Trafford on Wednesday evening.
AFP
At the start of the second half, Chelsea looked to capitalise on their numerical advantage and press forward as Fulham were forced back into their own third.
However, the home side dug in and were able to make blocks and key challenges to deny the visitors any clear-cut opportunities.
The Cottagers had their own chance to break when Ola Aina ran down the wing before cutting into the middle to get his shot away from outside the area but his effort went over the bar.
Tammy Abraham tested Areola with a header just moments after coming on, and Christian Pulisic was close to tapping in the opener from a well-weighted cross from the right but it was just too far in front of him.
Getty Images - Getty
Chelsea eventually benefited from their man-advantage and were able to find a way through the resolute Fulham defence when the ball fell to Mount in the area, who fired it past Areola to break the deadlock for Lampard’s men.
Ben Chilwell sent in a cross from the left and Areola decided to palm it away but instead sent it back into play, where it fell to the England international who drove low and into the back of the net to secure all three points.
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