5 new Chelsea signings analysed as Fernandez and Mudryk handed first starts
Chelsea were given their first opportunity since the transfer window shut to show off their expensive new signing after forking out an astonishing £323million in January.
Graham Potter's men welcomed local rivals Fulham to Stamford Bridge in the unfamiliar position of being sat below their neighbours in the Premier League table. The Cottagers actually started the clash the better of the two, but it was a scrappy affair that arguably better suited the visitors.
Marco Silva's men did a good job of nulifying Chelsea's attacking threat while playing to their own strengths. An hour passed by with the pair still feeling each other out, with Chelsea unable to pick the Fulham lock.
The best chance of all fell to Chelsea's David Fofana, but his strike was blocked by Tim Ream on the goal-line when Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno was left stranded. It ended all square in the form of a 0-0 draw that saw both sides squander chances.
Mirror Football has analysed how five of Chelsea's new boys fared in what was their first taste of a West London derby.
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Enzo Fernández was the main attraction for Chelsea's home clash against FulhamEnzo Fernandez
Potter wasted little time in handing £105million-man Enzo Fernandez his first start in Chelsea colours, thrusting him into the spotlight just three days after joining.
All eyes were on the former Benfica man before kick-off, especially given the Argentinian World Cup winner is the most expensive player in Premier League history and with that title comes plenty of pressure and expectation.
Fernandez highlighted just what he can offer as a deep lying midfielder early on, picking up on a stray ball before playing a pinpoint pass into the feet of the returning Reece James to build a Chelsea attack, though it amounted to nothing.
While Fernandez is not the biggest midfielder from a physical sense, he made sure his presence was felt with his ability to pop up in pockets of space to thwart Fulham attacks before they even got off the ground.
He proved how his defensive strengths can be used as a springboard for attacks when he pinched the ball back in the middle of the park and played an inviting through ball into Hakim Ziyech's path, but the Moroccan fired wide.
Fernandez nearly sent the Bridge into wold celebrations with a long-distance effort that just ended up the wrong side of Bernd Leno's post, a stellar strike that nearly capped off a fine debut.
Mykhaylo Mudryk was replaced after 45 minutes in his first start for the clubMykhaylo Mudryk
Mykhaylo Mudryk's arrival in West London now feels like a lifetime ago, such was the nature of the Fernandez saga and Benfica's reluctance to let the midfielder leave, but the former Shakhtar Donetsk ace was also given a first start.
His rapid pace was on display once again, but it would be disingenuous to ignore some of his more 'raw' technical attributes. The 22-year-old absolutely lashed a through ball in the direction of Kai Havertz, leaving the German with little chance of actually controlling it.
After 36 minutes, Mudryk had the least amount of touches of any Chelsea player and spent the majority of the first-half running towards his own goal, with all of Fulham's attacking joy coming down his flank.
It does not reflect particularly well on Mudryk as the most expensive forward in Chelsea's history that the hosts went the entire first-half without an attempt on target, before he was hauled off at the interval.
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Noni Madueke looks like he could be a handful for opposition defendersNoni Madueke
Purchased from PSV Eindhoven for a fee of £30m, Noni Madueke was handed his first outing as a Chelsea player having been introduced to replace the struggling Mudryk.
Immediately the young winger showed how his first thought when in possession is to carry the ball forward and progress his team further up the pitch.
The 20-year-old Barnet-born wide-man was nearly caught out when he mis-read Conor Gallagher's pass and it was intercepted by Fulham full-back Antonee Robinson, but luckily for Madueke the attack didn't result in anything for the visitors.
Madueke certainly enjoyed the better 45 minute cameo in comparison to the man he replaced in Mudryk.
Benoit Badiashile impressed at the back for Chelsea (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)Benoit Badiashile
While the spotlight wasn't quite as firmly focused on central defender Benoit Badiashile given he has already made three league appearances, the young Frenchman showed his composure on the ball on a number of occasions.
The former Monaco ace was tasked with silencing in-form Fulham ace Aleksandar Mitrovic and for the most part did well.
Gary Neville sung the defender's praises during Sky Sports' coverage, claiming he was Chelsea's best player in the first half alongside partner Thiago Silva.
David Datro Fofana could have sealed all three points for Chelsea late onDavid Fofana
The young Ivorian was given just over 15 minutes off the bench late on to try and have an impact.
Within two of those minutes he nearly found the winner, with Fofana latching on to a Gallagher pass and rounding the onrushing Leno, the striker left Issa Diop on the floor with the goal gaping.
However, he failed to find the net when the £10m striker saw his effort blocked by Fulham stalwart Tim Ream.
A great piece of defending by the American that denied Fofana his chance of a dream Premier League debut.
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