Striker Joao Pedro continued his scoring streak as Chelsea benefited from controversial refereeing decisions to beat rivals Fulham 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Joao Pedro headed the opener in first-half injury time to score his fifth goal in five starts across all competitions since his £55m move from Brighton, with midfielder Enzo Fernandez scoring a second-half penalty.
However, referee Robert Jones took centre stage after making several controversial decisions.
The first ruled out Fulham midfielder Josh King’s goal in the 21st minute. His team-mate Rodrigo Muniz was judged to have stepped on Trevoh Chalobah in the build-up by the video assistant referee (VAR) Michael Salisbury.
Jones confirmed the decision after viewing the pitchside monitor but there appeared to be minimal contact in what also looked a natural action by striker Muniz, while playing with his back to goal.
Joao Pedro further punished Fulham, who dominated the first 45 minutes, by scoring a header from Fernandez’s corner with the final action of the half.
Fernandez then scored from the penalty spot to seal victory after Ryan Sessegnon was judged to have handled the ball in the penalty area.
It was a difficult decision for the officials but again went in Chelsea’s favour as Fulham manager Marco Silva fumed at referee Jones.
Chelsea secured an important victory before the international break despite losing striker Liam Delap to a hamstring injury early in the first half.
