Chelsea 1-0 Fulham: Cole Palmer's penalty goal hands Blues 3 consecutive PL wins
Cole Palmer's first half penalty earned Chelsea a narrow 1-0 win over Fulham in the West London derby to continue their Premier League resurgence.
Pochettino vowed to bring smiles back to Chelsea faces in his matchday programme notes following the midweek loss at Middlesbrough but they were slow to get going before the opener.
Armando Broja headed an Enzo Fernandez cross narrowly wide but otherwise struggled to make an impact up front, with Fulham repelling Chelsea's attacks and threatening at the other end too.
The visitors went close to breaking the deadlock just before the half-hour mark when Harry Wilson, getting some joy up against makeshift Chelsea left-back Levi Colwill, forced a sharp save from Petrovic from Antonee Robinson's teasing cross.
Chelsea then had a close shave when right-back Malo Gusto caught former Blue Willian on the ankle with his studs. The travelling fans called for a red card but referee Anthony Taylor opted for yellow.
The hosts continued to push and got their reward when Palmer's brilliant reverse pass, the only standout moment of quality in the first half, released Sterling, who went to ground for Chelsea's penalty after slight contact from Issa Diop.
Palmer stepped up and sent Bernd Leno the wrong way to take his Premier League goal tally to nine this season and make it five successful penalties out of five following his move from Manchester City.
Chelsea started the second period strongly, with the excellent Palmer curling a shot narrowly wide, Sterling striking the outside of the post with a header and Broja failing to connect properly with a low Gusto cross as the hosts piled on the pressure.
Fulham provided a reminder of their attacking threat when Raul Jimenez forced an athletic, one-handed
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