Chelsea edged hosts Fulham 3-2 on Monday evening in the Premier League, Xabi Alonso's first official match in charge. The attacking trio of Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers stole the show, each getting on the scoresheet.
Alonso called the win "a good first step" at the start of his official journey with Chelsea. He backed his new front three from the off, and the decision paid off inside 31 seconds when Pedro fired Chelsea in front.
Fulham hit back through Josh King, who pounced on Robert Sanchez's fumble. Chelsea restored their lead before the interval, Rogers marking his first appearance with a goal.
The visitors made it three shortly after the restart, Pedro teeing up Palmer for 3-1, before Gonzalo Garcia struck on his Fulham debut to make it 3-2. Alonso was delighted with his attackers afterwards.
Speaking in comments highlighted by the "ESPN" network, the Spaniard said: "They will be a very important part of the team. To build a team with them, they must take on responsibility, lead others and inspire them, and if they put in a great performance, others will follow them."
He added: "We need to get the ball to them in the best possible situations, and find the connections that deliver it to them. I am happy with the three of them. They play for the team, they score goals, and that is important."
Both Palmer and Pedro had missed the World Cup, the former left out of the England squad.
On Palmer, Alonso went on: "I am very happy for Cole. I really enjoyed watching him play with such dynamism, freedom and responsibility, helping the team and feeling his importance, and we need that for the team. If he feels this way, we will have a better Chelsea. I am happy for him because he enjoyed this match."
There was a caveat, too. "We are talking about the team. We could have dealt better with the first goal and defended to avoid it. That is part of the match, and we have to accept it and learn from it. This will be a process that involves all the lines. We want to put in a better performance in everything, and the aim was to start well, get a good start, feel calm and continue."
Enzo Fernandez started on the bench amid ongoing doubts over his future. He got a warm reception from the Chelsea fans when he came on in the second half.
Quizzed about the supporters applauding Fernandez, and about hearing his own name chanted, Alonso replied: "It is not very important. I am happy to have played our first official match in the league, it was a wonderful feeling in this stadium with our fans and celebrating with them. I felt they were excited and hoping to see a good performance from the team, a team that gives everything to fight. It is important to build this bond."
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