While West London rivals Fulham and Chelsea have no love lost, they rarely meet under the competitively meaningful circumstances on display amidst Sunday’s Premier League match at Craven Cottage.
Both clubs are firmly in the mix for European qualification next season, with Chelsea gunning for a Champions League spot and Fulham chasing any qualifying spot they can snatch.
With the two clubs situated less than two miles apart, this local derby is always met with the requisite amount of distaste, but the added value of the points at stake make this a tasty affair.
STREAM LIVE: Watch Fulham vs. Chelsea on Fubo in USA | Watch on Fubo in Canada
Coming into the weekend, Chelsea faced a one-point gap in the English domestic standings between their sixth position and fifth-placed Man City who occupied the final Champions League place. Fulham were thusly six points further back in ninth, hoping to make up ground on Aston Villa in the all-important seventh spot.
The Sporting News is following the Fulham vs. Chelsea match live, providing score updates, commentary.
Latest live updates | Team news and lineups | How to watch where you are | Current Premier League standings
Fulham vs. Chelsea score
| Score (2H) | Goal scorers | |
| Fulham | 1 | Iwobi (20′) |
| Chelsea | 0 | – |
Location: Craven Cottage (London, England)
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Keep track of every game and every goal via SN’s live Premier League scoreboard
Starting lineups:
Fulham (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Leno (GK) — 2. Tete, 5. Andersen, 3. Bassey, 33. A. Robinson — 16. Berge, 20. Lukic — 30. Sessegnon, 18. Pereira, 17. Iwobi — 7. Jimenez.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Sanchez (GK) — 24. James (Gusto, 46′), 23. Chalobah, 6. Colwill, 3. Cucurella — 8. E. Fernandez, 25. Caicedo — 11. Madueke (Sancho, 46′), 20. Palmer, 7. Neto —15. Jackson.
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Fulham vs. Chelsea live updates, highlights from Premier League match
56th min: Chance, Chelsea! Pedro Neto produces a terrible finish with a huge chance to go level! He’s in acres of space on a feed by Nicolas Jackson with his back to goal, and Neto ends up with just Bernd Leno to beat from 10 yards out, but his low hit lacks pace and Leno gets his outstretched leg to it! The Fulham goalkeeper has it squirt by him for a moment, but he recovers to snag the ball before it gets away.
49th min: Chelsea have started really well in this second half, and are moving forward with intent. Pedro Neto cuts a dangerous ball back to the penalty spot, but there’s nobody there to meet it. That’s happened a few times in this game, and Neto looks frustrated with his teammates for not recognising the run.
2nd half kickoff: We said Chelsea needed to change something for the second half, and it appears Enzo Maresca will be making two substitutions as they get the final 45 minutes under way.
Jadon Sancho and Malo Gusto will be coming on, with Reece James and Noni Madueke to exit. Those are two positive changes, as James was loose in possession which resulted in the goal and Madueke is still on his way back to full fitness from injury. You would have maybe hoped that Sancho could replace the ineffective Pedro Neto and get 15 more minutes out of Madueke though…
HALFTIME: Fulham 1-0 Chelsea
In search of their first-ever league double over Chelsea, Fulham are in front at the break and deservedly so. While the Whites are far from the most talented team on the pitch, they have done an exceptional job of tactically playing together and are causing the Blues all kinds of problems.
Marco Silva has done a wonderful job of organising this team into a group of 11 players who can pressure the opponent when needed, defend deep when necessary, and counter-attack dangerously. They are drawing Chelsea players out of position effectively and forcing them to play the ball back more often than they would like.
Changes are needed from this Chelsea side, but Enzo Maresca has not shown a propensity to have an effective Plan B or C all season long.
45th min: Fulham have successfully mucked up the game over the last 15 minutes, and as one minute of stoppage time is shown, Chelsea have done very little to threaten with halftime nearing.
Fulham have a free-kick won by Ryan Sessegnon on a foul by Marc Cucurella, and with the last action of the half, the ball is sent deep to the far post where Sander Berge was waiting, but Cucurella just gets there in time and heads it out over the end line for a corner.
To the fury of the home fans, the referee blows for halftime before the corner can be taken.
32nd min: Fulham have pressed Chelsea into oblivion and are creating a ton of chances with the intense and targeted attack. It’s just forced Marc Cucurella to pass the ball straight out of play.
When Chelsea escape the press they look threatening but that is in moments all too few and far between. https://t.co/G5R4DWMX4K
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) April 20, 2025
28th min: Chance, Fulham! The hosts take a corner, and Sander Berge comes FLYING in for a diving header, but doesn’t make contact! What a missed opportunity, he was in acres of space!
Moments later, Levi Colwill is the first Chelsea player into the referee’s book for fouling Raul Jimenez after he had released the ball.
24th min: Calvin Bassey picks up a yellow card for clattering Enzo Fernandez from behind. He’s got no complaints, and actually has more words for his teammates for more vocal cues than he does the referee for his decision.
20th min: GOAL! FULHAM! ALEX IWOBI FIRES FULHAM IN FRONT! He’d wasted a deep cross moments earlier, but off the goal kick Reece James has his pocket picked and the Whites take advantage!
Sasa Lukic wins the ball in midfield and Ryan Sessegnon brings it up. He finds Iwobi well in traffic at the top of the penalty area, and his right-footed effort goes across the face of Robert Sanchez and in the net!
Chelsea wanted a foul on James for the initial turnover, but VAR clears the referee of any mistake!
VIDEO: Watch Fulham goal in USA | Watch in Canada
📸 – Fulham grab the lead, Alex Iwobi! pic.twitter.com/WHiWpvPF5W
— VAR Hub (@VARHub) April 20, 2025
19th min: Chance, Fulham! Nicolas Jackson is surprised that a cross from Noni Madueke reached him, but the ball just gets away from him and slides into Bernd Leno’s bread basket. He is asking for a penalty for a slight drag-back by Joachim Andersen, but there’s not much in it and the referee isn’t having it.
16th min: Pedro Neto takes a brilliant cross-field pass from Reece James and is fouled just outside the top-left corner of the penalty area, but Chelsea waste the dangerous free-kick chance as James hits it right at Bernd Leno. The visitors are, however, growing into the match after being put under lots of pressure through the first 10-15 minutes.
11th min: Cole Palmer gets his first look on goal created off a long ball to Nicolas Jackson, but it’s poorly hit and easily scooped up off the turf by Bernd Leno. Palmer has not been in top form recently and that effort looked devoid of confidence.
3rd min: Chance, Fulham! The Whites have the ball in the back of the net but the offside flag goes up! There’s a mad scramble in the box, and Andreas Pereira gets the all-important touch to poke the ball past Robert Sanchez, but Ryan Sessegnon was in an offside position, basically standing on the end line.
Fulham have started this game with EXTREME intent! The hosts are flying into challenges, pressing very high, and moving the ball forward every time they get it!
Kickoff: They’re under way at Craven Cottage! Fulham are known as a family club, but the home fans are right up for this derby with more implications for the Whites than maybe ever before!
Fulham vs. Chelsea: Pre-match commentary, analysis, more
30 mins to kick: Fascinatingly, both coaches have labeled this game a “final” for their respective clubs. Enzo Maresca was the first to do it, saying “Sunday [against Fulham], for us, is a final and can be a boost to reach our target.”
Marco Silva wouldn’t be denied, as he used the same verbiage in response. “It’s a final for us, too. We have our goals to fight for. Any game is going to be important because the season is coming to an end. A special derby for the fans.”
There’s clearly a high importance on this match, one not often seen in this derby which has often been more about the emotional result of the game rather than the tangible side of things.
1 hour to kickoff: Lineups are in! Chelsea see Pedro Neto come in for the struggling Christopher Nkunku, while Noni Madueke returns to the starting lineup and Romeo Lavia is back on the bench.
For Fulham, Ryan Sessegnon’s redemption arc continues as he is handed another start in a big London derby, picked over Adama Traore, while Kenny Tete makes his first start for the club since suffering a knee injury in mid-December. Fulham state that Rodrigo Muniz and Emile Smith Rowe are both absent due to injury, which is a surprise.
1 hour 30 mins to kick: The Telegraph has written a truly intriguing article about how Chelsea have been desperate to find experienced players to add to the squad this summer. The writeup focuses on the club’s chase of impending free agent Virgil van Dijk, who recently signed a contract extension with Liverpool. While the Blues fell short in that pursuit, their interest shows that the club is in dire need of veterans, as it’s maybe too young to be maximised at the Premier League level.
Will that cost them in their chase for a Champions League place?
🗣 David Ornstein: “There was interest from Chelsea in signing Virgil Van Dijk if he had become available, but ultimately he only had eyes on Liverpool, and that shows there is no rule on only signing U23 players at Stamford Bridge, as some have suggested.”
~ @NBCSportsSoccer pic.twitter.com/4rqf6Q3ZL3
— Vince™ (@Blue_Footy) April 19, 2025
2 hours to kickoff: While European qualification is the main focus for these clubs, there’s a bit of history on the line as well.
With Fulham having won the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge in December, the Whites are chasing their first league double ever over their neighbors in blue. They have only beaten Chelsea twice consecutively once before, coming across two seasons.
Fulham won the final meeting of the 1976/77 Second Division 3-1 at home before winning at Stamford Bridge the following campaign by a 2-0 score.
Fulham vs. Chelsea kick off time
This Premier League match kicks off from Craven Cottage on Sunday, April 20 at 2 p.m. local time in London, England. Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA/Canada | Sun, Apr. 20 | 9 p.m. ET |
| USA/Canada | Sun, Apr. 20 | 6 a.m. PT |
| UK | Sun, Apr. 20 | 2 p.m. BST |
| Australia | Mon, Apr. 21 | 1 a.m. AEST |
| India | Sun, Apr. 20 | 6:30 p.m. IST |
Current Premier League standings
| Pos. | Team | GP | Points | W-D-L | Goal Diff. | GF-GA |
| 4. | Nottingham Forest | 32 | 57 | 17-6-9 | +13 | 51-38 |
| 5. | Man City | 32 | 55 | 16-7-9 | +20 | 62-42 |
| 6. | Chelsea | 32 | 54 | 15-9-8 | +17 | 56-39 |
| 7. | Aston Villa | 32 | 54 | 15-9-8 | +3 | 49-46 |
| 8. | Bournemouth | 32 | 48 | 13-9-10 | +12 | 52-40 |
| 9. | Fulham | 32 | 48 | 13-9-10 | +4 | 47-43 |
| 10. | Brighton | 32 | 48 | 12-12-8 | +2 | 51-49 |
Fulham vs. Chelsea lineups, team news
Fulham are at near-full squad fitness, with just two confirmed absentees, both out wide. Wingers Harry Wilson and Reiss Nelson are sidelined with significant injuries, as Wilson needs a bit longer to recover from a foot issue and Nelson likely done for most if not all of the season with a hamstring tear.
Otherwise, Marco Silva has his full squad to pick from, although Antonee Robinson has been playing through a tendonitis issue which caused him to miss the March international window and requires regular pain management. Silva has been rotating both Raul Jimenez and Rodrigo Muniz at the striker position, while Ryan Sessegnon has earned increased time on the wing recently in a platoon with Adama Traore.
Record summer signing Emile Smith Rowe has had a disappointing first season at Craven Cottage, and at this point is only a substitute option instead of a regular starter, which is unfortunate for a player who cost a whopping £27 million ($35.8m). Kenny Tete makes his first start at right-back since suffering a knee injury in mid-December.
Fulham starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno (GK) — Tete, Andersen, Bassey, A. Robinson — Berge, Lukic — Sessegnon, Pereira, Iwobi — Jimenez.
Fulham subs: Benda (GK), Cuenca, Castagne, Reed, Cairney, Traore, Vinicius, Wilson, Willian.
Chelsea are largely healthy, with only Marc Guiu and Wesley Fofana still on the shelf due to injuries, but there are still selection headaches for Enzo Maresca to work through.
The most notable issue is on the wing, for varying reasons. Out left, Christopher Nkunku has repeatedly flopped with his chances to impress, including midweek against Legia Warsaw, so Pedro Neto has yet again been recalled. On the right, Jadon Sancho has improved but Noni Madueke is now fit and reclaims his spot, with Maresca opting against using both.
Both Marc Cucurella and Reece James are thrown back into the mix instead of rested after use in Europe, while Levi Colwill has been preferred to Benoit Badiashile in Premier League play in the middle. Enzo Fernandez is handed a starting spot in midfield alongside Moises Caicedo, with both given the midweek Conference League game off.
Chelsea starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez (GK) — James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella — E. Fernandez, Caicedo — Madueke, Palmer, Sancho — Jackson.
Chelsea subs: Jorgensen (GK), Badiashile, Acheampong, Gusto, Adarabioyo, Dewsbury-Hall, Lavia, Sancho, George.
Fulham vs. Chelsea live stream, TV channel
Here is how to watch the match in some of the world’s major regions:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | USA Network, Telemundo | Fubo, NBC Sports App |
| Canada | — | Fubo Canada |
| UK | — | — |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| India | — | JioCinema |