Josh King sublime, Rodrigo Muniz falls flat – Fulham ratings v Chelsea amid VAR controversy
Fulham fell to a 2-0 defeat to West London rivals Chelsea in controversial circumstances.
The Whites found themselves at the mercy of referee Rob Jones, who seemed intent on making the wrong decision at every opportunity possible.
Josh King was slid through on goal by a divine pass by Rodrigo Muniz, before twisting inside of ex-Cottager Tosin Adarabioyo and slotting home.
But the joy of the youngster’s first senior goal for his boyhood club was short-lived, as Jones and VAR concluded that the Brazilian had carelessly stamped on Trevoh Chalobah.
Chelsea made the most of Fulham‘s dismay, scoring in the 10th minute of added time, despite only eight being added on in the first half, before the Blues doubled their lead after a penalty was awarded, despite Joao Pedro handling the ball in the build-up.
Fulham collapse after refereeing decisions go Chelsea’s way
Bernd Leno – 8
Reliable. Bernd Leno is one of Fulham’s best signings in recent history, the German shot-stopper seems to never put a foot, or a glove, wrong, and is a vocal presence for his backline.
Kenny Tete – 7
Kenny Tete rejected Everton to remain at Fulham this summer, and keeping the Dutchman at Craven Cottage has proved vital. A consistently strong defender, although his limitations going forward mean that if the left-back is not on form, the Whites lack attacking support from their backline.
Joachim Andersen – 8
Best game this season. Joachim Andersen has not quite hit the heights expected of him since returning to the Cottage, but against Chelsea, the Dane was in fine form.
Calvin Bassey – 6
Middling. What makes Calvin Bassey so fun is his ability to drive forward with the ball from deep, adding a new dimension to Fulham’s attack, which was missing today.
Ryan Sessegnon (off for Robinson 66′) – 5
Ryan Sessegnon has been a crucial piece for Silva since re-joining the Whites last term, but the 25-year-old gave away a needless penalty and was not at his best offensively.
Sasa Lukic – 7
Underrated. The Serbia international had a slow start to his Fulham career, but since the mid-point of last season, Sasa Lukic has been Marco Silva’s go-to man to be the heart of the engine room. Another solid performance against a midfield that cost over a quarter of a billion pounds.
Sander Berge – 7
The hulking Norway international is now a clear first-choice alongside Lukic and his strong defensive attributes allow the ex-Torino man to take a more front-footed approach.
Timothy Castagne (off for Wilson 60′) – 7
Lively. Whilst Fulham were still in the game, Timothy Castagne was a persistent threat down the right-hand side, perhaps a tad unlucky to be taken off at the hour mark.
Josh King (off for Smith Rowe 66′) – 9 – Player of the Match
Starboy. His goal may have been ruled out, but Josh King was Fulham’s best player on the pitch for the hour he was given and the 18-year-old is the most exciting talent the Whites have produced this century.
Alex Iwobi – 5
Inconsistent. Alex Iwobi is a player capable of making something out of nothing on his day, but the Nigeria international found chances limited against Chelsea.
Rodrigo Muniz (off for Jimenez 60′) – 4
Rodrigo Muniz was linked with a Fulham exit this summer, and whilst the foul against him should not have been given for King’s goal, the Brazilian struggled to have much of an impact during the rest of the match.
Substitutes
Harry Wilson (on for Castagne 60′) – 5
Silva is a master at creating impact from his bench, but the decision to remove Castagne for Wilson was a puzzling move, and one that did not work out as intended.
Raul Jimenez (on for Muniz 60′) – 5
His skied free-kick in the last few minutes illustrated how difficult Raul Jimenez has found the 2025/26 campaign. A new striker is an absolute necessity for Fulham.
Emile Smith Rowe (on for King 66′) – 5
Scored in under two minutes after being brought on against Man United, but lacked the same impact against Chelsea today.
Antonee Robinson (on for Sessegnon 66′) – 6
Antonee Robinson is still looking restricted by the injury that he spent much of the summer recovering from, but he still offers a considerable threat down the left-hand side that will only improve as the season goes on.