COLE PALMER SCORED on his first Stamford Bridge start in almost four months as Chelsea beat Everton 2-0 to move back into the Premier League’s top four.
After four winless matches, Enzo Maresca could hardly have asked for a better moment for his most influential player to announce his return from the groin injury that has wrecked his season up to now, and it came in the 21st minute, the England forward sweeping his side into the lead from Malo Gusto’s clever pass.
Fresh from scoring a first-ever career goal in November, it was Gusto who then got the second from Pedro Neto’s cross before half-time.
Everton’s last win at Chelsea came in 1994 whilst David Moyes had never tasted victory on this ground. After four league wins in five and with the Blues in faltering form, it looked an opportune moment to settle both of those scores, but Maresca’s talisman ensured the day would be all about him.
This has been the most difficult year of Palmer’s career, suffering two significant injuries and making a fraction of the impact he enjoyed during his first 18 months at Chelsea.
His last goal from open play on this ground came in January, but when his chance came finally to correct that aberrant stat, he took it as though he had been banging them in all season.
Wesley Fofana played a short ball in midfield to Gusto, whose pass through the lines was wonderfully calibrated. Palmer’s run caught Everton cold and he breezed through the centre of their defence and smacked the ball by Jordan Pickford at his near post.
It can be no coincidence that whenever Palmer’s form drops, Chelsea drop points. His barren spell last season – two goals between late December and May – coincided with the team’s descent from second in the league into a scrap for the top four, and though Maresca has insisted there is far more to his team, things undoubtedly function far smoother throughout the side when he is present and purring.
He was withdrawn just before the hour mark, his work done and the manager conscious of managing his playing time.
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Chelsea Manager Enzo Maresca with Jack Grealish today. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Alejandro Garnacho attempted the spectacular in search of Chelsea’s second with a wicked drive that cleared the bar by a fraction, then suffered a horror miss when he pounced on Carlos Alcaraz’s woeful pass but tapped wide of an open goal.
Everton had begun in a dangerous groove but their confidence was rocked by Palmer’s goal. Finally they carved out an opening just before the break, Idrissa Gueye getting in down the right and crossing to where Thierno Barry was inches from knocking in his second Toffees goal.
Chelsea’s second was delightfully simple. Neto made it, zipping around Vitalii Mykolenko on the right and crossing low for Gusto, arriving in the box at speed and knocking it past Pickford.
Jack Grealish missed a golden chance to bring Everton back into it with a shot on the slide that sailed across goal and wide before Reece James was denied from a free-kick by a save by Pickford.
The final chance was Everton’s, Iliman Ndiaye rolling the ball against the post with Robert Sanchez beaten, but Chelsea by then had done enough.
Burnley 2-3 Fulham
Harry Wilson scored one and set up two more as Fulham piled more pressure on their former manager Scott Parker by inflicting a seventh straight defeat on beleaguered Burnley.
Although Lesley Ugochukwu cancelled out Emile Smith Rowe’s early goal, Calvin Bassey had the Cottagers back in front before half-time and Wilson’s eighth goal of the season put Fulham clear.
Burnley substitute Oliver Sonne scored a late consolation but the Clarets were beaten 3-2.
It was Fulham’s first win at Turf Moor in 30 attempts dating back to April 1951 and extended Burnley’s longest losing run in the league since they lost eight straight during the 1994-95 season, when they suffered relegation to the third tier.
There is again a sinking feeling these days at Turf Moor, where Burnley have not won since beating Leeds 2-0 on 18 October.
Fulham fans, who remember twice being relegated under Parker in his first managerial job, sang ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’ to the former England midfielder as they celebrated only a second away win of the season and one that moves them seven points clear of the bottom three.
Harry Wilson celebrates. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Fulham’s opening goal is not one that Burnley left-back Quilindschy Hartman will want to see again.
Wilson’s bouncing low corner should have been a routine clearance but Hartman inexplicably failed to make contact at the near post and a grateful Smith Rowe prodded in one of the easier goals he might ever score.
Ugochukwu, already denied once by Bernd Leno, dragged the hosts level in the 21st minute as he was played in by Josh Cullen before poking home a shot that went in off the post – Burnley’s first goal in open play since the 3-2 loss to West Ham on November 8.
But Fulham soon regained the lead courtesy of more poor play at the back from a Burnley side whose record-breaking defence in the Championship last season is an increasingly distant memory.
The hosts failed to fully clear a corner and Antonee Robinson, making his first league start of the season after a knee injury, could easily find Wilson in space on the touchline. Unchallenged, he dinked in a cross for Bassey to nod home his first of the season from point-blank range.
Burnley had to rally again but Leno denied Armando Broja and then, as half-time loomed, pushed Ugochukwu’s corner around the post.
Smith Rowe almost gifted Burnley an equaliser early in the second half with a short backpass, but Jacob Bruun Larsen could not capitalise as Leno smothered the shot.
Fulham were suddenly in a mess. After Joachim Andersen scuffed a clearance, Bassey flattened Broja as he stepped in to prevent a shot, with the incident cleared by a VAR check.
But having survived that Fulham snatched a third still two minutes short of the hour mark, a swift counter-attack ending when Samuel Chukwueze found Wilson in space just inside the box and he picked his spot with a low shot, making it three goals and three assists in his last four games.
With five minutes left, Bassey could not prevent Hartman’s cross from finding substitute Sonne who could side-foot home his first Clarets goal, but it was too late for Burnley as boos greeted the final whistle.
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Cole Palmer scores on Chelsea comeback, Fulham win at Burnley for first time since 1951
LAST UPDATE | 13 Dec 2025
Chelsea 2-0 Everton
COLE PALMER SCORED on his first Stamford Bridge start in almost four months as Chelsea beat Everton 2-0 to move back into the Premier League’s top four.
After four winless matches, Enzo Maresca could hardly have asked for a better moment for his most influential player to announce his return from the groin injury that has wrecked his season up to now, and it came in the 21st minute, the England forward sweeping his side into the lead from Malo Gusto’s clever pass.
Fresh from scoring a first-ever career goal in November, it was Gusto who then got the second from Pedro Neto’s cross before half-time.
Everton’s last win at Chelsea came in 1994 whilst David Moyes had never tasted victory on this ground. After four league wins in five and with the Blues in faltering form, it looked an opportune moment to settle both of those scores, but Maresca’s talisman ensured the day would be all about him.
This has been the most difficult year of Palmer’s career, suffering two significant injuries and making a fraction of the impact he enjoyed during his first 18 months at Chelsea.
His last goal from open play on this ground came in January, but when his chance came finally to correct that aberrant stat, he took it as though he had been banging them in all season.
Wesley Fofana played a short ball in midfield to Gusto, whose pass through the lines was wonderfully calibrated. Palmer’s run caught Everton cold and he breezed through the centre of their defence and smacked the ball by Jordan Pickford at his near post.
It can be no coincidence that whenever Palmer’s form drops, Chelsea drop points. His barren spell last season – two goals between late December and May – coincided with the team’s descent from second in the league into a scrap for the top four, and though Maresca has insisted there is far more to his team, things undoubtedly function far smoother throughout the side when he is present and purring.
He was withdrawn just before the hour mark, his work done and the manager conscious of managing his playing time.
Alejandro Garnacho attempted the spectacular in search of Chelsea’s second with a wicked drive that cleared the bar by a fraction, then suffered a horror miss when he pounced on Carlos Alcaraz’s woeful pass but tapped wide of an open goal.
Everton had begun in a dangerous groove but their confidence was rocked by Palmer’s goal. Finally they carved out an opening just before the break, Idrissa Gueye getting in down the right and crossing to where Thierno Barry was inches from knocking in his second Toffees goal.
Chelsea’s second was delightfully simple. Neto made it, zipping around Vitalii Mykolenko on the right and crossing low for Gusto, arriving in the box at speed and knocking it past Pickford.
Jack Grealish missed a golden chance to bring Everton back into it with a shot on the slide that sailed across goal and wide before Reece James was denied from a free-kick by a save by Pickford.
The final chance was Everton’s, Iliman Ndiaye rolling the ball against the post with Robert Sanchez beaten, but Chelsea by then had done enough.
Burnley 2-3 Fulham
Harry Wilson scored one and set up two more as Fulham piled more pressure on their former manager Scott Parker by inflicting a seventh straight defeat on beleaguered Burnley.
Although Lesley Ugochukwu cancelled out Emile Smith Rowe’s early goal, Calvin Bassey had the Cottagers back in front before half-time and Wilson’s eighth goal of the season put Fulham clear.
Burnley substitute Oliver Sonne scored a late consolation but the Clarets were beaten 3-2.
It was Fulham’s first win at Turf Moor in 30 attempts dating back to April 1951 and extended Burnley’s longest losing run in the league since they lost eight straight during the 1994-95 season, when they suffered relegation to the third tier.
There is again a sinking feeling these days at Turf Moor, where Burnley have not won since beating Leeds 2-0 on 18 October.
Fulham fans, who remember twice being relegated under Parker in his first managerial job, sang ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’ to the former England midfielder as they celebrated only a second away win of the season and one that moves them seven points clear of the bottom three.
Fulham’s opening goal is not one that Burnley left-back Quilindschy Hartman will want to see again.
Wilson’s bouncing low corner should have been a routine clearance but Hartman inexplicably failed to make contact at the near post and a grateful Smith Rowe prodded in one of the easier goals he might ever score.
Ugochukwu, already denied once by Bernd Leno, dragged the hosts level in the 21st minute as he was played in by Josh Cullen before poking home a shot that went in off the post – Burnley’s first goal in open play since the 3-2 loss to West Ham on November 8.
But Fulham soon regained the lead courtesy of more poor play at the back from a Burnley side whose record-breaking defence in the Championship last season is an increasingly distant memory.
The hosts failed to fully clear a corner and Antonee Robinson, making his first league start of the season after a knee injury, could easily find Wilson in space on the touchline. Unchallenged, he dinked in a cross for Bassey to nod home his first of the season from point-blank range.
Burnley had to rally again but Leno denied Armando Broja and then, as half-time loomed, pushed Ugochukwu’s corner around the post.
Smith Rowe almost gifted Burnley an equaliser early in the second half with a short backpass, but Jacob Bruun Larsen could not capitalise as Leno smothered the shot.
Fulham were suddenly in a mess. After Joachim Andersen scuffed a clearance, Bassey flattened Broja as he stepped in to prevent a shot, with the incident cleared by a VAR check.
But having survived that Fulham snatched a third still two minutes short of the hour mark, a swift counter-attack ending when Samuel Chukwueze found Wilson in space just inside the box and he picked his spot with a low shot, making it three goals and three assists in his last four games.
With five minutes left, Bassey could not prevent Hartman’s cross from finding substitute Sonne who could side-foot home his first Clarets goal, but it was too late for Burnley as boos greeted the final whistle.
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