Pedro Neto’s stoppage-time winner helped Chelsea keep their hopes of UEFA Champions League qualification alive as they came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage.
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Alex Iwobi’s fine finish in the 20th minute had the hosts in front, but two goals in 10 second-half minutes from substitute Tyrique George and Neto sealed a huge win for the Blues.
Nineteen-year-old George needed just five minutes after being introduced into the action to make an impact, rifling a first-time finish beyond the grasp of Bernd Leno from the edge of the box on 83 minutes, for his first Premier League goal.
The turnaround was complete in the third minute of second-half stoppage time when Neto collected Enzo Fernandez’s cut-back, taking a touch before firing the ball into the roof of the net.
Chelsea’s victory moves them up into fifth place, ahead of Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, while Marco Silva’s side remain ninth in the standings.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
33 | +22 | 58 |
| 5 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
33 | +18 | 57 |
| 6 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
32 | +13 | 57 |
| 7 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
33 | +6 | 57 |
| 8 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
33 | +12 | 49 |
| 9 |
Fulham
FUL
|
33 | +3 | 48 |
How the match unfolded
Fulham started the brighter of the two sides on Sunday and thought they had taken the lead in the fourth minute through Andreas Pereira, but the goal was ruled out for an offside against Ryan Sessegnon, a decision that was confirmed by VAR.
Sessegnon, however, was involved for the opening goal, capitalising on Reece James’ hesitation to feed Iwobi 20 yards from goal, with the midfielder taking a touch before firing past Robert Sanchez.
The half-time introduction of Jadon Sancho breathed some much-needed life into the visitors, testing Leno soon after replacing Noni Madueke, but clear-cut chances continued to evade them.
But as the Blues’ Champions League hopes were fading with each passing minute, up stepped teenager George from the bench, reacting quickest to a loose ball and sending a fierce effort into the bottom-left corner.
Then, deep into stoppage time, Neto swivelled on a bouncing ball and slammed a sensational left-footed half-volley home, ending Chelsea’s eight-game winless away run.
Cottagers’ European hopes fade
Despite a typically compact display for the first 80 minutes, Marco Silva and Fulham will know they have missed a huge opportunity to strengthen their European hopes.
In Pereira’s 100th Premier League appearance for Fulham, the Brazilian thought he had given his side a dream start when he turned home from close range, only for the flag to be raised against Sessegnon.
Iwobi, who is enjoying the best season of his Premier league career, grabbed his ninth league goal of the season to open the scoring, with the midfielder at the heart of all of Fulham’s attacking play in the first half.
Fulham have not played in European competition since Roy Hodgson’s era, when they famously reached the 2010 UEFA Europa League final, losing 2-1 to Atletico Madrid.
Though faint hopes may still remain on returning to the continent for next season, via either the Europa League or the UEFA Conference League, Neto’s stoppage-time winner will have felt like a knife to Fulham fans’ hearts.
They now sit nine points behind Villa in seventh with AFC Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford all sniffing around a European spot.
George and Neto help Chelsea bounce back
For George, it was a truly special moment. The 19-year-old forward bagged his first senior Chelsea goal in the Conference League a couple of weeks ago and continued his breakout season with a lovely late strike to draw his team level.
Neto has come under fire for his inconsistency since joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers, but this was undoubtedly his biggest moment in a blue shirt so far. His emphatic finish produced a memorable moment in the away end as Chelsea’s European race was kept alive.
Maresca replaced both James and Madueke at half-time, in favour of Malo Gusto and last week’s saviour, Sancho, which helped improve Chelsea going forward after a slow start to proceedings.
It was another frustrating afternoon for Cole Palmer, who is yet to score a Premier League goal since January, while Nicolas Jackson has failed to find the back of the net in 2025.
Both could have equalised for the Blues, with Jackson close to turning home a cross from Neto in the box, and Palmer testing Leno with a tame effort.
Chelsea will need their two forwards firing if they are to remain in the Champions League hunt. They welcome Everton to Stamford Bridge next Saturday.
Club reports
Fulham report | Chelsea report
What the managers said
Marco Silva: "I really believe the result is very harsh for us but the second half was not our level and we lost the game."
Enzo Maresca: "I'm very happy. First of all because I think we deserved to win the game. We started well in the first 20 minutes but then we conceded a goal unfortunately and in a match that is a must-win, that is not easy for the players."
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Key facts
Neto’s goal (92:31) was Chelsea’s latest winning goal on record in a Premier League London derby (since 2006/07).
Fulham have dropped 25 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, with only Ipswich Town dropping more in the competition (27).
Today’s defeat puts an end to Fulham’s eight-match streak in the Premier League of alternating between a victory and a defeat, with this being only the second time this season that the Cottagers have lost back-to-back matches and the first time since October 2024.
Aged 19 years and 75 days old, George became Chelsea’s fifth-youngest goalscorer in the Premier League and youngest since Callum Hudson-Odoi netted against Burnley in January 2020 (19y 65d).
