Chelsea began the Xabi Alonso era with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Fulham in an entertaining west London derby at Craven Cottage.

The visitors made a stunning start when Joao Pedro opened the scoring inside the first minute.

The Brazilian reacted quickly after Cole Palmer’s clever pass, racing behind the Fulham defence before calmly lifting the ball over Bernd Leno.

Fulham responded through Josh King, who levelled in the 23rd minute after breaking into the Chelsea penalty area.

However, Chelsea regained control before the break, with Morgan Rogers putting them back in front four minutes before half-time.

Rogers marked his Chelsea debut with a composed finish after Maxence Lacroix created the opportunity with an impressive run and cross from the byline.

Chelsea extended their advantage shortly after the restart when Palmer finished a well-developed attack involving Rogers and Joao Pedro.

The England international kept his composure to beat Leno and make it 3-1.

Fulham refused to surrender and reduced the deficit nine minutes later.

Gonzalo Garcia reacted quickest after Robert Sanchez had saved from Timothy Castagne, heading in the rebound.

The hosts pushed for an equaliser during the closing stages, forcing Chelsea to defend resolutely.

Sanchez made several important interventions as Alonso’s men held on.

The result gives Alonso a winning start in the Premier League, while Chelsea will next face Luton Town in the Carabao Cup on Thursday.