Xabi Alonso made a winning start to life as Chelsea manager as the Blues edged Fulham 3-2 in a thrilling West London derby at Craven Cottage on Monday.

The victory gives Alonso an early boost as he begins the task of rebuilding Chelsea following their disappointing 10th-place finish in the Premier League last season.

Joao Pedro gave Chelsea the perfect start, scoring after just 31 seconds to put Alonso’s side in front. However, the advantage was short-lived as goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s mistake allowed Josh King to equalise for Fulham.

Chelsea regained the lead through new signing Morgan Rogers, who marked his debut with a goal following his record £117 million move from Aston Villa during the summer.

Cole Palmer then appeared to put Chelsea in control by adding a third after the interval, but Fulham refused to surrender.

Another error from Sanchez allowed Gonzalo Garcia to pull one back for the hosts, setting up a tense finale as Chelsea fought to protect Alonso’s first Premier League victory.

The result will provide valuable confidence for Alonso, who has arrived at Stamford Bridge with a point to prove after his brief spell in charge of Real Madrid ended with his dismissal after less than eight months.

The former Real Madrid boss was reunited with Alvaro Arbeloa, who was appointed Fulham manager during the summer. The pair previously worked together in Madrid, but there was no room for friendship once the match began.

For Chelsea, the performance was far from perfect, particularly at the back, but Alonso will be encouraged by the attacking quality shown by Pedro, Rogers and Palmer.

The challenge now is to turn an exciting opening victory into consistency as Chelsea look to climb back towards the top end of the Premier League.