The west Londoners have dropped four points in back-to-back winnable games and will now be looking anxiously over their shoulder
It's remarkable how quickly a so-called title challenge can be brought to an end. After weeks of fielding questions over Chelsea's ability to push Liverpool all the way in the race to be crowned Premier League champions, Enzo Maresca has probably seen his side's hopes extinguished in the space of two games.
The Blues followed a frustrating goalless draw with a stubborn Everton team in wet and wild conditions on Sunday, December 22, with an agonising sucker-punch defeat to Fulham on Boxing Day, as Rodrigo Muniz slotted home a 95th-minute winner for their west London rivals.
Chelsea's festive mini-slump has seen them slip to third in the table and – in all likelihood – out of a title race they were only on the fringes of in the first place, proving Maresca's insistence that they 'aren't ready'.
Getty Images SportMissed opportunities
Come the end of the season, Chelsea may well look back on the last two games as the point where any semblance of a title challenge slipped away from them, even if the head coach and his players have publicly denied they are in the race.
Had they been three or four points better off after the clashes with Everton and Fulham they would still be applying pressure to table-topping Liverpool in second place and their top-four status would be more or less secure.
However, off the back of a draw and a defeat they will be looking nervously over their shoulder having slipped to third courtesy of Arsenal's victory over Ipswich on Friday.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportNo control
In many ways, the defeat in the west London derby – their first at home to Fulham in the Premier League era – saw Chelsea's chickens come home to roost, as a number of recurrent issues ultimately cost them in a big way.
Having dominated the first half, the Blues completely lost control of proceedings in the second period as they allowed Fulham to play to their strengths, failing to add to or protect a slender lead.
Loss of control has often been a problem for Chelsea this season, and although they have weathered past storms against the likes of Leicester and Brentford, they were unable to navigate this one.
This is not a trait you associate with a team harbouring hopes of being crowned Premier League champions.
AFP'We gave them too much energy'
To his credit, Maresca pointed to that shortcoming at full-time, rather than attempting to shift blame. "I think the first 15 or 20 minutes of the second half was the part I didn’t like, because we conceded too many transitions and we knew they are a team building from transitions, with [Alex] Iwobi, Adama [Traore], [Antonee] Robinson and [Raul] Jimenez," he said.
"In the first half I felt we controlled that very good, we scored and created chances, then in the second half I think we gave them too much energy in the first 15 or 20 minutes."
He continued: "For sure we can manage the game better because, as I said, we knew that they are very good in transition. It is difficult to find a team like them with so many players that can run a lot. I think in the first half we controlled that well. In the first 15 or 20 minutes of the second half, we didn’t control that."
Getty Images SportUnaddressed weaknesses
The nature of the Cottagers' two goals will have been intensely frustrating too, as two more of Chelsea's most significant flaws were exposed.
First, a ball-watching backline was caught narrow to allow Harry Wilson to ghost in and nod home from mere yards out after a deep cross was headed back across goal – an example of the kind of defensive lapses the Blues have been prone to in 2024-25.
Then, after countless heart-in-mouth moments this season, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez once again paid the price for some poor kicking, as an aimless long ball was seized upon by a Fulham player, which led directly to Muniz's winner in the fifth of six added minutes.
"Yes, there is some frustration, especially for the way we conceded the goal at the end," Maresca admitted after the game.
