Chelsea struggled to a 1-0 win against 10-man Fulham on Saturday who held on well until late in the second half following the sending off of USMNT defender Antonee Robinson.
Mason Mount scored Chelsea’s only goal of the game after 78 minutes of sustained pressure from Frank Lampard’s side.
Robinson was sent off for a lunging tackle on Cesar Azpilicueta right before half-time, making him the eighth ever U.S. international to receive a red card in the Premier League.
It was an uneventful first half up until Robinson was sent off with Mount coming the closest to scoring when he hit the crossbar on 24 minutes.
Despite Chelsea’s dominance in possession, they struggled to create chances as Fulham pulled every player into defence.
Tammy Abraham came on for Jorginho after 65 minutes and made an immediate impact with his first touch an attack on goal that Alphone Areola managed to gather.
It was Mount who managed to break the deadlock after Ben Chilwell‘s shot was deflected right into his path.
The win takes Chelsea up to seventh place and three points off the top four while Fulham struggle in 17th.