Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso urged goalkeeper Robert Sanchez to "relax and carry on" after the Spaniard endured a difficult Premier League opener in a win at Fulham, insisting responsibility for the club's improvement does not rest on one player alone.
Sanchez struggled during the match at Craven Cottage, conceding a weak strike from Josh King before parrying a second shot into the path of Fulham's £34million summer signing from Real Madrid, Gonzalo Garcia, who headed home the rebound. Late in the game he was fortunate that Antonee Robinson lacked the accuracy to lob him for an equaliser after he had rushed out of his goal.
Asked about Sanchez's performance, Alonso said: "It's about the team, it's not about the individual. The first goal, we can do better to defend, we can do better to avoid, but it's part of the game. We need to accept and to learn. This is going to be a process. All the lines, from the strikers, the midfielders, the defence, the goalkeepers, we want to do better in everything. The goal was to start good, and we've been able to start well. Relax and carry on."
Chelsea have maintained throughout the summer that they are happy with their goalkeeping options, with the 28-year-old Sanchez as first choice and 21-year-old Belgian Mike Penders his understudy. Goals from Chelsea's front three of Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer secured victory for Alonso in his first competitive match in charge, against Alvaro Arbeloa's Fulham side.
Fernandez Given Backing Amid Transfer Talk
Enzo Fernandez was brought on as a second-half substitute, with Fulham supporters booing his every touch and chanting "England, England" at the Argentina international, who has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester City. Chelsea's travelling fans responded by singing his name throughout.
"In football, I am not surprised by anything," Alonso said of Fernandez and the speculation surrounding him. "We will see. My wish is that we know what will happen for the future, but we will see this week."
On the performances of Joao Pedro, Rogers and Palmer, Alonso added: "They need to take responsibility, they need to lead the rest, they need to inspire the rest. If they do, great, other ones will follow."
Arbeloa Reacts to Fulham Defeat
Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa, a former Real Madrid and Spain defender, said his side had conceded at the worst possible moments. "We conceded goals in the first minute, at the end of the first half and at the beginning of the second half. There are not worse moments to concede," he said.
"But we showed character and personality and I am very proud of how my players responded. We deserved a little more but football is not about what you deserve, it is about what you take. For me, they are easy goals for them and mistakes we cannot make. We need to improve and be more ready in the first minute, that is for sure."
