Chelsea moved back into third in the Premier League table courtesy of a 3-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage this evening.
The Blues took the lead just before the half-hour mark when David Luiz let fly from 35 yards out, leaving Mark Schwarzer helpless as it flew into the top corner.
John Terry added a second just before the break when he was left unmarked in the box, and the Chelsea skipper doubled his personal tally in the 72nd minute when he tapped in Fernando Torres's effort to put the game beyond doubt.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at a comfortable West London derby for Chelsea.
Match statistics:
Fulham:
Shots 11
On target 7
Possession 46%
Corners 6
Fouls 11
Chelsea:
Shots 13
On target 10
Possession 54%
Corners 5
Fouls 11
Was the result fair?
Chelsea certainly deserved to win the match, but 3-0 may have been a bit harsh on Fulham. The hosts started the match brightly and were the better team up until Chelsea's second goal. After that, though, the Blues took control of the match and the second half was very comfortable for the visitors. Neither side played particularly well, but Chelsea were more clinical going forward and that was the difference tonight.
Fulham's performance
The hosts were the better side for much of the first half, but they struggled to break Chelsea down throughout. They had a few good chances to test Petr Cech but, more often than not, missed the target on these occasions. There was nothing they could do about the opening goal, but Chelsea's second was preventable and it was this that really put the game beyond Fulham. They barely threatened at all in the second half and, on the one occasion that they looked like scoring they were denied by their own man.
Chelsea's performance
Not exactly all-conquering, but a 3-0 win over your closest Premier League neighbours is not something to be sniffed at. Chelsea struggled to get their flair players on the ball in the first half and were quite fortunate to have a 2-0 lead at the break. However, they dictated the tempo of the second half and their third goal ended the match as a contest. They didn't create too many really good chances, but they were clinical enough to make any chances count.
Sports Mole's man of the match
John Terry: Terry came back into the side for today's match and showed that he is still more than capable of doing a job for his side. Defensively, Fulham couldn't break the Blues down and Terry, as captain and leader of the defence, should take a lot of credit for that. Add to that the fact that he scored two goals and you have a man-of-the-match performance from the former England international.
Biggest gaffe
This one has to go to Mladen Petric. The striker did not have the best of evenings, and this was summed up with 20 minutes left. Philippe Senderos latched on to a corner to head goalwards, and his effort looked destined to nestle in the bottom corner until Petric got himself involved. The Croatian tried to turn it in on the line, only to send his shot well over from virtually underneath the bar. Some of his blushes were spared by an offside flag, but it was still a terrible miss and he still stopped Senderos's header from going in to make it 2-1.
Referee performance
Mike Dean had an alright game this evening. It wasn't the toughest game to officiate and there were no big decisions to make. Perhaps the biggest regarded Bryan Ruiz going down inside the box under an apparent challenge from Terry. Dean was right not to award a penalty, but the subsequent yellow card to Ruiz was a bit harsh as the midfielder looked like he lost his footing rather than dived.
What next?
Fulham: Next up for Fulham is another London derby as they welcome Arsenal to Craven Cottage on Saturday.
Chelsea: Chelsea, meanwhile, have a big match of their own as Rafael Benitez returns to Anfield to take on Liverpool on Sunday.
Barney Corkhill
