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2023/24 English Premier League
Matchday 21
Chelsea v Fulham
Stamford Bridge
London, England
Saturday, 13 January 2024
Kick-off is at 12h30
Chelsea will be hoping to carry their late form in 2023 over into the New Year when they lock horns with neighbours Fulham in a West London derby at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, January 13.
The Blues won three of their last four matches in December to finish the year in the top half of the table as they closed within a point of ninth-placed Newcastle.
Mauricio Pochettino's side ran out 3-2 victors against Luton at Kenilworth Road on December 30, having beaten Crystal Palace 2-1 in West London three days earlier.
Wolves are breathing down their necks in 11th spot after embarking on a three-match winning streak to go level with Chelsea on 28 points, while the Magpies' woes continued after they suffered three defeats on the spin.
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The Cottagers ended 2023 on a positive note after they beat title contenders Arsenal 2-1 at Craven Cottage on December 31 to arrest a three-game losing sequence.
Marco Silva's side trail their local rivals by four points in 13th position and are just one behind Bournemouth (12th), who saw a seven-game unbeaten run come to an end with a 3-1 loss at Tottenham on December 31.
Cole Palmer continues to go from strength to strength at Chelsea after playing a starring role in the victory over the Hatters. The attacking midfielder scored one in each half and played in Noni Madueke for their second goal. He has now contributed eight goals and four assists in 16 league appearances to highlight his worth to Pochettino, who brought him to the club from Manchester City in the off-season.
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Raul Jiminez is starting to find his feet at Craven Cottage after getting off to a slow start since making the move from Wolves in the off-season. The Mexican striker's influence on the team has grown in recent weeks and he opened the scoring against the Gunners to make it five goals in his last seven games for Fulham.
Pochettino hailed the hard-fought win at Luton and felt it was important for their confidence going into the New Year.
"It was a very difficult game, but I am so pleased," the Argentine said. "That is the Premier League. Luton are a team that fight until the end.
"You could see that from their games against Liverpool and Arsenal and Man City and Newcastle. It is so difficult to break them down.
"But the team was very good. I'm very pleased with the performance. We controlled the game until the 65th minute. We needed to win and we deserved the result.
"Of course we suffered a little bit in the last few minutes when we conceded two goals, but overall it's a good result to build our confidence for the new year."
Silva was pleased to claim the scalp of one of the Premier League's big teams, having come close on numerous occasions this season, but coming up just short.
"It's really important and, to be honest, in 2023, I think we have been deserving this type of result against top sides, because we have been really so, so close in some moments to getting one - for many reasons, sometimes our fault, sometimes their quality as well, because the details play always a big part in it," the Portuguese said.
"Of course, it's the best way to finish the year. 2023 has been a great year for Fulham Football Club - the way we did it last season, the way we have been achieving important stages of the FA Cup or Carabao Cup. And for us it was really important to finish on a high."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Chelsea - 3
Fulham - 1
Draws - 1
Premier League Matchday 21 fixtures:
Friday, January 12
19h45: Burnley v Luton Town
Saturday, January 13
12h30: Chelsea v Fulham
17h30: Newcastle United v Manchester City
Sunday, January 14
14h00: Everton v Aston Villa
16h30: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur
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