LONDON — Xabi Alonso hailed Chelsea’s “special” forwards after Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro combined to inspire a 3-2 win at Fulham yesterday in his first game as Blues boss

Alonso enjoyed the perfect start to his reign thanks to his decision to give Rogers, Palmer and Pedro the freedom to tear into Fulham’s defence.

Pedro took just 31 seconds to open the scoring with a composed finish from Palmer’s pass.Rogers showed he can justify the eye-watering £117 million (US$159 million) fee that Chelsea paid to Aston Villa to make him the most expensive British player in history.

The England star bagged Chelsea’s second goal, firing home with aplomb after Fulham had punished a mistake from Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez to equalise through Josh King.

And Palmer joined the party after half-time, scoring from an acute angle to put Chelsea 3-1 up.

Chelsea’s entertaining display was a stark contrast to their moribund efforts under Enzo Maresca and then Liam Rosenior last season.

“We were a threat. The three strikers were combining well and creating chances,” Alonso said.

“Overall, the squad is balanced. The special players need to have the freedom but as well they need to have the responsibility to help the team.

“We know they have the talent to create many chances. It is a good start. But it is not to rely only on them. We need to have control, quality and toughness.”

Alonso was sacked by Real Madrid in January after less than eight months in charge.

The former Liverpool midfielder has a point to prove as he tries to rediscover the midas touch that led Bayer Leverkusen to an unexpected German title in 2024.