Chelsea were to a frustrating goalless draw by fellow Londoners Fulham in Friday night’s Premier League fixture at Stamford Bridge.
British record signing and Qatar 2022 World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez made his Chelsea debut but could not help his new side claim only their second win of 2023.
Fernandez completed a £107m move to the Blues from Benfica three days ago and Graham Potter opted to hand him an immediate start.
He made a solid impression and almost enjoyed a dream debut when his curled effort flew just wide of the post in the second half.
Fellow January arrivals Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke and Fofana also featured in the game and while they had varying degrees of impact, Chelsea’s long-running issue in front of goal was once again laid bare.
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Germany international Kai Havertz also went close before the break when his lobbed effort from Hakim Ziyech’s superb pass clipped the woodwork before the ball was cleared off the line.
Debutant David Datro Fofana had a shot cleared off the line late on after showing great control to wrongfoot the goalkeeper.
But overall Chelsea did not do enough to earn the win as they again struggled to create real goalscoring chances, finishing the game with just two shots on target.
Fulham fully deserved the point after a superb defensive display and move up to sixth in the table, three places and two points above Chelsea.
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