Both Alonso and Cottagers boss Arbeloa were managing in their first PL match after arriving in the summer, and they had barely taken their seats when Chelsea took the lead after just 31 seconds.
Levi Colwill sent a Fulham clearance back where it came from and Palmer fed Joao Pedro, who dinked a lovely finish over Bernd Leno to register the earliest-ever goal scored by a team in their opening game of a PL season.
It saw Palmer already match his assist tally for the 2025-26 campaign, and he fired a shot straight at Leno shortly after.
Both teams looked nervous at the back, with Robert Sanchez particularly shaky, and the Chelsea goalkeeper should have kept out Josh King’s 23rd-minute equaliser when the Fulham midfielder’s drilled effort flew inside his near post.
The Cottagers were suddenly on top, and Josh Acheampong made a vital block to deny summer signing Gonzalo Garcia a debut goal.
However, Chelsea wrestled back momentum, and Pedro volleyed just wide before Leno made himself big to thwart Romeo Lavia at point-blank range.
The Blues regained the lead four minutes before half-time as the two summer signings in the starting lineup combined, with Maxence Lacroix cutting the ball back to £117m recruit Morgan Rogers, who fired low into the net.
Palmer increased the advantage four minutes after the interval when he was played in behind by Pedro and finished coolly through Leno’s legs, with all but one of his last 11 goals for Chelsea coming before the hour mark.
However, it took the hosts just five minutes to halve the deficit as Sanchez parried Timothy Castagne’s shot straight at Garcia, who nodded into the net via the crossbar to continue a run that has seen all seven of his career league goals come at home.
The lively King almost beat Sanchez again 18 minutes from time, but this time his low shot skidded past the post.
Antonee Robinson was next to go close as his lob over Sanchez bounced wide, but the Cottagers could not prevent a fourth successive defeat in season-opening London derbies in the PL.
Pedro had a goal disallowed for offside in stoppage time, but it mattered not, as the Blues claimed their first opening-day win since 2022, and their seventh victory in their last nine visits to Craven Cottage (L2).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Cole Palmer (Chelsea)
