Wilson's late goal clinches Fulham win over 10-man Chelsea

Harry Wilson's late winner secured Fulham a 2-1 victory over 10-man Chelsea, whose new boss Liam Rosenior watched from the stands at Craven Cottage.

With Calum McFarlane still in interim charge after Rosenior's appointment on Tuesday, Chelsea suffered an early blow when Marc Cucurella was sent off after 22 minutes for a last-man foul on Wilson.

Chelsea were then offered a reprieve as Wilson had a first-half goal ruled out for offside against Raul Jimenez, who later made amends by heading in the opening goal in the 55th minute.

Liam Delap levelled just 17 minutes later, reacting quickest to score his first Premier League goal for Chelsea, only for the in-form Wilson to drill an 81st-minute winner past Robert Sanchez.

Watch Rosenior celebrate Chelsea's goal

Victory lifts Fulham – who are now unbeaten in six – up to ninth place on 31 points, level with eighth-placed Chelsea and just three points adrift of the top four.

How the match unfolded

Andrey Santos missed a glorious opportunity for Chelsea 19 minutes in, heading Enzo Fernandez's corner on to the crossbar, before Bernd Leno denied Moises Caicedo on the follow-up.

Chelsea’s momentum was abruptly halted by Cucurella's dismissal for denying Wilson's obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

A VAR check then established Jimenez was offside in the build-up to Wilson's well-taken finish, but the Mexican responded after the interval by planting Sander Berge's delivery into the bottom-right corner with a firm header.

Delap should have equalised soon after but saw Leno smother his cute dink after Cole Palmer's smart dummy, but the Chelsea striker's persistence paid off when he prodded home from close range following Pedro Neto's deflected corner.

However, Wilson weaved his magic once more, releasing Emile Smith Rowe for a shot inside the box before latching on to the rebound and sending an effort past Sanchez – via a Reece James deflection – to seal all three points.

Wonder of Wilson lifts Fulham

Marco Silva’s side came into Wednesday’s fixture with plenty of confidence after Harrison Reed's 97th-minute thunderbolt snatched a 2-2 draw with Liverpool last time out.

Fulham were slow out of the blocks here, though, until Cucurella gifted them a numerical advantage with a tug on Wilson just outside the area as the two chased a long ball from Leno.

A deserved lead arrived through Jimenez, however, before their advantage was kept intact by some good goalkeeping from Leno.

But it was Wilson's brilliance that delivered yet again, with the Welshman netting his seventh Premier League goal this season, just minutes after Ryan Sessegnon teed up Jimenez to fire over the bar.

Silva will be keen for his side to transfer this positive Premier League form to the FA Cup, where they take on Middlesborough before travelling to face Leeds United at Elland Road.

Rosenior watches on as Chelsea collapse yet again

Rosenior will have to wait for Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Charlton Athletic to take full control, but this display will have left him with plenty to ponder as he prepares to replace Enzo Maresca after the Italian's unexpected exit.

His first priority may be sorting Chelsea’s disciplinary issues – Cucurella’s red card was the Blues' fifth this Premier League season, only 21 games into the campaign.

The full-back was caught on his heels from a long Leno kick, and saw red for a cynical pull on Wilson.

It was always going to be an uphill struggle from then on, though Delap’s strike will encourage Rosenior, who worked closely with the striker during his loan at Hull City two seasons ago.

And the Blues still had further chances fall their way, with Jorrel Hato powering a header over the bar before Caicedo sent an effort straight at Leno.

Rosenior has already expressed the potential is there to work with for his new Chelsea side, but he needs improvements at both ends of the pitch if they are to compete for UEFA Champions League qualification this season.

Club reports

Fulham report | Chelsea report

What the managers said

Marco Silva: "We never expect to win a game if we don’t work hard. We knew we controlled the game very well. We had to be aware that with some transitions we gave them a chance. We deserved the three points and did more to win the game. We changed with the substitution of Kevin to be much more offensive. Most of these players played three games in seven days. It’s an incredible effort from these guys and they deserve all the credit.

"We had to be patient. I wanted to wait for half-time because it would be clearer what instructions we needed for the game. It was a great win for these guys [fans]. In the past, the fans weren’t used to winning against their neighbours. But they’re getting the great feelings now."

Calum McFarlane: "I thought Fulham started better, won more duels and second balls. We were too aggressive on the ball in the first 10 minutes., but then I thought we found our rhythm and we got into some good areas, even though they gave us a lot of respect in terms of their defensive structure in the 5-4-1.

"We had just got into our rhythm, had a couple of set-pieces, but we got countered and went down to 10 men. Then it’s about how compact we are, how we control our box and our final third. We did that really well until they scored the first goal.

"We had moments and I was really proud of the character to get back in the game. We didn’t look like conceding again until a bit of quality from Harry Wilson that decided the game. So we’re disappointed."

Next five PL fixtures

Key facts

Harry Wilson has had a direct hand in 11 Premier League goals for Fulham this season (seven goals, four assists), his outright highest total in a single campaign, while it equals his best goalscoring season in the top flight (also seven in 2019/20).

Fourteen of Raul Jimenez's last 17 Premier League goals have put Fulham 1-0 up, including each of his last eight.

In his 12th Premier League appearance for Chelsea, Delap scored his first goal for the Blues, netting for the first time in the competition since April against Wolves for Ipswich, ending an 18-game run without a league goal.