New Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior watched from the stands as Harry Wilson’s fine finish condemned his team to defeat against west London rivals Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Rosenior was not appointed in time to take charge but took a watching brief and may have feared the worst when Marc Cucurella was sent off early on.
Chelsea fell behind to Raul Jimenez’s header after 55 minutes, but Liam Delap levelled from four yards when the ball bounced back to him off the left post from a corner, after Antonee Robinson almost headed into his own net.
With nine minutes remaining, Wilson beat Jorrel Hato with a smart touch just inside the penalty area before half-volleying the ball into the left corner beyond Robert Sanchez.
Under the direction of caretaker manager Calum McFarlane, Chelsea had been left with a mountain to climb from the 22nd minute when Cucurella pulled down Wilson and was red-carded for what was judged to be a professional foul.
It was Chelsea’s eighth dismissal of the season in all competitions, including one for former boss Enzo Maresca who was deemed to be over-celebrating in October after a last-minute winner against Liverpool.
There were signs of anger in the away end, with a ‘BlueCo out’ banner displayed and chants against the ownership as they watched on alongside their new appointment Rosenior.
Defeat means Chelsea fall to eighth place in the Premier League, while Fulham join them on 31 points from 21 games.
It’s remarkable to think that Welshman Wilson was struggling to get a game for Fulham at one stage but is now among the top-performing forwards in the Premier League.
The former Liverpool player was a thorn in Chelsea’s side all match, peppering their goal with shots when the teams were at 11 v 11 before his clever run drew the foul from Cucurella that brought the red card and changed the complexion of the match.
Wilson looked to have scored through a firm, low shot just before half-time, but it was cruelly ruled out because Raul Jimenez mistimed his run in the build-up.
However, Wilson was the first Fulham player to threaten the goal after the break and eventually scored after a terrific touch and lethal strike with his right foot.
Wilson was serenaded by home supporters moments after doing an on-pitch interview, and it was easy to understand why.
Since the start of November, only Manchester City’s superstar striker Erling Haaland (12) has had more Premier League goal involvements than Wilson (10 – six goals, four assists).
In that time, Fulham have gone from relegation danger to being contenders for European football again. They were just four points above the relegation zone on 7 December after a defeat by Crystal Palace, but that gap is now 17 points.
Appointed on Tuesday, Rosenior had no time to take a training session or lead the team into this match, so he had to be content to watch from the directors’ box.
However, what he will have seen and indeed heard will surely worry him.
There were anti-ownership chants aimed towards those he was sitting next to, along with criticism of the sporting directors.
It had been all smiles before the match as Rosenior spoke to his new squad after training on Tuesday before then travelling with them to Craven Cottage, a familiar spot for the former Fulham defender. He then did a television interview before taking his seat for the game.
Cucurella’s red card would have given him the realisation that Chelsea need guidance to avoid falling short of their goals this season.
Ill-discipline has been an obvious problem, and in the immediate aftermath of the red card there were yellows for dissent for Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Tosin Adarabioyo.
Five of Chelsea’s red cards for players this season have come in the league, meaning they are one short of the most they have had in a single Premier League campaign – six in 2007-08 – and there are still 17 matches still to play.
Fulham will host Middlesbrough at Craven Cottage in the FA Cup third round on Saturday (15:00 GMT). They then travel to Leeds for a Premier League match at Elland Road the following Saturday (15:00 GMT).
Chelsea, under new head coach Rosenior, will face Charlton Athletic at The Valley in the FA Cup on Saturday (20:00 GMT). They then host Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final (20:00 GMT) next Wednesday before returning to Premier League action at home to Brentford on Saturday (15:00 GMT).
