Maresca made a mistake in giving the Chelsea player 4/10 90 minutes

Well, where did that come from?

They appear poised to maintain their rampant momentum in an attempt to secure an improbable order Premier League Title, Flying High Chelsea She slipped into dramatic circumstances at home Fulham On Thursday afternoon, the visitors eventually won 2-1 on Boxing Day.

It looked to be another routine victory over a team that had not won at Stamford Bridge since 1979, as Cole Palmer powered his way into the opener, with a deserved second goal later disallowed as Levi Colwell was ruled offside.

That reprieve seemed to help revive the Cottagers in the closing stages as Harry Wilson scored in the 82nd minute, before some sluggish Chelsea defending allowed Rodrigo Muniz to convert at the death to seal all three points for Marco Silva's men.

There is no doubt that this last-gasp collapse will be painful for the Blues coach Enzo Marescawith the Italian coach left to ponder some notable mixed performances from the hosts.

Chelsea's best and worst performances against Fulham

We'll get to the negatives soon, but in the positive sense, there's only one place to start – Palmer.

Chelsea's Mr Reliable has laid down his own chalk The 12th goal in the league this season In some way to help kick-start proceedings at the bridge, the England international, who returns home with his trademark flair, composed the outfits after an exhilarating round.

This single goal ensures the 22-year-old can boast a ridiculous tally 37 goals and 21 assists In just 65 games for the west London side, with Manchester City's decision to let him leave looking more surprising with each passing game.

On the other hand, Palmer did not find any help from the rest of his attacking teammates, as Jadon Sancho failed to provide a single assist, According to Sovascorwhile Pedro Neto He was also guilty on both ends of the court, where his “final product was somewhat disappointing,” as he put it Express journalist Joe Krishnan.

Defensively, the Portuguese speedster was also found wanting in Fulham's opener, with the former Wolves man being shrugged off too easily by the advancing Alex Iwobi, while awkwardly continuing to roll around holding his face as the attack developed.

There may be arguments why the winger was not withdrawn amid the wealth of Maresca options, and perhaps the same also applies to his right-sided teammate, Malo Gusteau.

Malo Gusto's presentation against Fulham

It must be said that Giusto was not the only member of the backline to be beaten on Thursday afternoon, although the Frenchman will shoulder a large part of the blame for his role in Moniz's victory.

The former Lyon defender failed to track his player when Fulham hit back in stoppage time, showing little desire to try to get back into position as the opposition lined up to convert at the back post.

Not only was the 21-year-old guilty in that moment, but he also struggled, overall, against the lively Anthony Robinson, having been dribbled out once and also losing the ball 11 times.

There wasn't much joy offensively either as Giusto failed to complete a single cross and successfully completed just one of his four long ball attempts, with just one of his 78 touches.

Amid these problems, there is a question as to why Maresca – who only used one substitute – did not replace the right-back in the second half, especially with promising youngster Josh Acheampong among the waiting in the wings.

This was certainly the judgment of journalist Tom Overend who suggested that Gusteau'need to go“, with the aforementioned Krishnan giving it a meager match rating of 4/10.

Maresca's decision not to use the bench is a puzzling one given the hectic nature of the festive schedule, with Chelsea left to rue a result that gives more control to league leaders Liverpool in the title race.