Chelsea’s defensive problems continued to haunt them on Saturday as Hull City fought back twice to earn a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, while Liverpool were held to a goalless draw by Fulham.
The result lifted Hull into third place in the Premier League, with only defending champions Arsenal and Manchester City currently ahead of them.
Chelsea again showed plenty of attacking quality, with Morgan Rogers, Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer causing problems for the visitors. However, their vulnerability at the back once again cost them victory.
Since Xabi Alonso took over, Chelsea have scored 16 goals in five Premier League matches against top-flight opponents but have conceded 12.
Hull had entered the game as the league’s last team yet to concede a goal. That run ended after just seven minutes when Rogers found space and fired a low effort inside the near post.
The visitors responded after Chelsea switched off defensively. Jorrel Hato failed to properly deal with a cross towards the far post, allowing Mohamed Belloumi to meet the ball on the volley and level the contest.
Belloumi then completed the turnaround when his effort took a deflection and found the net after Chelsea goalkeeper Emi Martinez failed to convincingly deal with a corner.
Chelsea restored parity shortly after the hour mark. Palmer delivered a cross into the area and Pedro finished emphatically, sending the ball into the top corner.
The hosts pushed for a late winner but Hull stood firm to secure another impressive result since returning to the Premier League.
Liverpool Held at Anfield
Liverpool’s unbeaten start under Andoni Iraola survived another test, but the champions were unable to break down Fulham as the sides played out a 0-0 draw.
There was frustration around Anfield at the final whistle as Fulham secured their first point since Alvaro Arbeloa took charge.
Arbeloa had reportedly come under pressure after losing his opening three league games following his move from Real Madrid, but his side produced a disciplined display to frustrate Liverpool.
Despite Liverpool fielding an attack featuring Bradley Barcola, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak — players whose combined transfer values are around £300 million — the home side struggled to create a decisive opening.
Fulham arguably came closer to claiming all three points. Gonzalo Garcia wasted a clear opportunity before Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker made an excellent stop to keep out Josh King.
Liverpool moved up to sixth despite the draw but could fall further behind the leaders if Arsenal defeat Sunderland later on Saturday.
Forest Deepen Villa’s Problems
Aston Villa’s difficult start continued at Villa Park as Nottingham Forest claimed a 2-1 victory to leave the home side stuck in the relegation zone.
Forest had extra motivation after Villa eliminated them in last season’s Europa League semi-finals before going on to win their first trophy in three decades.
Liam Delap, who joined Forest from Chelsea for a reported club-record £45 million after struggling to establish himself at Stamford Bridge, opened the scoring with a powerful long-range effort into the bottom corner.
Villa eventually found an equaliser through Alysson, which was their first league goal of the season.
However, Forest had the final say when Igor Jesus restored their lead and gave Oliver Glasner his first victory as the club’s manager.
Palace Suffer Late Ipswich Blow
Crystal Palace’s disappointing beginning to the campaign continued with a 3-2 home defeat against Ipswich.
Palace were reduced to 10 men after Axel Disasi was sent off in the first half, leaving the hosts facing an uphill battle.
Ipswich took advantage of the numerical advantage, with Zian Flemming scoring his first goal for the club deep into stoppage time to snatch victory for the visitors.
