Mykhailo Mudryk nets his first goal for Chelsea helping Mauricio Pochettino’s side claim their first Premier League win since August after beating West London rivals Fulham 2-0 at Craven Cottage on Monday evening.
Mudryk’s first-half performance suggested a turning point in his Chelsea career. He has had a rocky time since joining the club for £89 million in January from Shakhtar Donetsk.
In the 18th minute, the Ukrainian gave the visitors the lead when he chested down Levi Colwill’s chipped cross and finished past Bernd Leno.
After Chelsea took the lead, Broja added to it with his first goal since October 2022 (when he suffered a serious knee injury) to put the Blues up 2-0 and 11th in the Premier League.
Fulham did not have many chances, and Robert Sanchez made a great save on a shot from Sasa Lukic inside the box in the second half.
Despite being taken out of the game at halftime, Mudryk’s coach Mauricio Pochettino was optimistic that the winger would be able to play against Burnley on Saturday despite suffering a quad injury.
The 22-year-old Mudryk, making his third consecutive start, looked sharp early on and continued to pose a threat throughout the match.
Since Pochettino has recognised the importance of boosting Mudryk’s self-assurance, he has been using the ‘crossbar challenge’ with the winger after practise, and the results have been encouraging.
Mudryk’s clinical finish off Colwill’s pass was indicative of a newfound assertiveness in a Chelsea uniform that had sometimes given the impression that Mudryk lacked confidence in his decision making over the course of his 24-game career.
“Misha [Mudryk] played because he’s showing in the training sessions that he deserved to be,” said Pochettino.
“He was really focused and his performances in training provided us the confidence to put him on the pitch. I’m pleased for Misha and for Armando.
“Misha scored his first goal in the Premier League and for Armando after a long period out he scored again, the competition is really good for the team.
“Young people need time to settle and it has been massive change for Misha when he arrived here.
“It’s not easy to settle. It’s about time and being patient. It is to trust these guys, these young talented players.”
Chelsea, missing 12 first-team players due to injury or suspension (including striker Nicolas Jackson and defender Malo Gusto), dominated the first half thanks in large part to the play of Cole Palmer, who was making his first league start after being acquired from Manchester City.
After Mudryk’s early goal, Pochettino will have been relieved to have Broja to turn to in Jackson’s absence, especially after the striker capitalised on some shaky defending from Fulham to make it 2-0.
The goal was scored when Chelsea forward Ola Palmer was given the ball by Fulham centre back Tim Ream, who promptly kicked the ball against Broja’s outstretched foot, sending it back into the goal.
The 22-year-old Albanian Broja, who ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in December and is just now returning to fitness, scored his second goal for Chelsea.
At the end of the first half, Raul Jimenez’s header from a corner presented Fulham’s best opportunity of the game, but it went harmlessly wide of Sanchez’s goal.
After replacing Mudryk, Ian Maatsen smacked the Fulham post as Chelsea pressed for a third.
Chelsea comfortably held on in the final 15 minutes, but it could have been very different if Lukic had scored on a close-range opportunity after Tom Cairney’s pass found him in the Chelsea area.
