Paul Merson says Andrey Santos ‘did the impossible’ in Chelsea defeat vs Fulham: ‘Unbelievable’
Chelsea had a dreadful start to their match against Fulham on Wednesday, as they went on to lose 2-1.
It was the Blues’ final game until Liam Rosenior took charge at Stamford Bridge. However, the former Strasbourg boss will not be impressed by what he saw.
Three goals in the second half eventually condemned them to a defeat. Yet, it was arguably in the first half when the game was lost.
Marc Cucurella was sent off for Chelsea for a professional foul on Harry Wilson, which helped to give Fulham an early advantage in a dire turn of events.
However, it was Andrey Santos’ early miss against the Cottagers that drew a shocked reaction from Paul Merson watching the match.
The visitors hit the woodwork from a corner and Sander Berge defends well on the line to clear the danger. ⛰️
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) January 7, 2026
Paul Merson: Santos should have put Chelsea ahead against Fulham
Santos has rarely had an opportunity to shine this season at Chelsea. However, he was given the nod to start on Tuesday.
Yet, during his time on the pitch, he managed to produce one of the misses of the season for the Blues as he failed to convert from close range after a corner ball fell to the midfielder.
Watching the match on Sky Sports News, Merson was appalled that the 21-year-old failed to convert the chance.
“I don’t remember a young man like Liam who has had an opportunity at a football club like this!” 💬
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 7, 2026
Michael Dawson reacts to his former teammate Liam Rosenior being appointed as Chelsea’s head coach 🔵 pic.twitter.com/FiYnrZ2Zuw
He said: “(Chelsea) should have scored, they won’t get a better chance!
“It is an inswinging corner again by Fernandez to the far post; it misses everybody.
“Santos is there, he goes up and is literally on the goal line, as he goes to head it, it hits his shoulder and hits the top of the bar.
“It comes out to Caicedo, gets blocked on the line and then Santos is offside.
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity…when you see it at another angle, it is impossible to miss.”
To make matters worse for the youngster, he was later brought off in the first half after Cucurella’s red card as Chelsea were forced to change their game plan.
How did Santos perform against Fulham?
Overall, despite his limited time on the pitch against Fulham, Santos did do well before he was taken off.
According to Fotmob on 7 January, the midfielder completed 83 per cent of his passes, made three recoveries and hit the woodwork in just 29 minutes.
| Andrey Santos’ stats vs Fulham | |
| Minutes | 29 |
| Shots | 1 |
| Big chances missed | 1 |
| Times hit woodwork | 1 |
| Passing completion | 83% |
| Recoveries | 3 |
| xG | 0.42 |
Therefore, if Rosenior wants to give the Santos more chances once he is in the dugout, he has plenty to build on from Tuesday, if he can look past the terrible effort on goal he had in the first half.
Hopefully, Santos’ miss against Fulham will not weigh on his mind too much as Chelsea look to make him into the next big star at the Blues.