Chelsea produced an attacking showcase to lead Fulham in an enthralling west London derby at Craven Cottage, with debutant Morgan Rogers among the scorers in a five-goal thriller.
The clash marked the first competitive match in charge for both Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso and Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa following their high-profile summer appointments.
The visitors made an explosive start, opening the scoring inside 31 seconds when Cole Palmer delivered an exquisite flick to release Joao Pedro.
The Brazilian forward showed supreme composure, calmly chipping the advancing Bernd Leno to send the away supporters into raptures.
Fulham responded with determination and drew level midway through the first half when Josh King broke down the right flank. King caught Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez off guard with a sharp strike at the near post to make it 1-1.
The hosts grew in confidence, with Calvin Bassey and Sander Berge threatening, but Chelsea regained the lead shortly before the interval. Debutant Maxence Lacroix pulled the ball back across the penalty area for Rogers to sweep home a composed finish.
Alonso's side maintained their clinical edge after the break and added a third when Pedro turned provider. The forward picked out Palmer, who drilled a low finish under Leno to cap an influential performance.
Fulham refused to lie down and hit back five minutes later through debutant Gonzalo Garcia. The Spanish striker reacted quickest inside the six-yard box after Sanchez parried a shot, nodding the loose ball into the net to make it 3-2.
The relentless pace continued as Fulham pressed forward for an equaliser, with Antonee Robinson and Alex Iwobi delivering threatening crosses into the Chelsea penalty area.
Chelsea stood firm under mounting pressure as Alonso's side worked tirelessly to protect their slender advantage in a breathless opening-round encounter between the west London rivals.
