Morgan Rogers sends ominous warning to Chelsea’s rivals after debut goal | OneFootball

Morgan Rogers insists there is more to come after scoring on his Chelsea Premier League debut in Monday’s 3-2 win against Fulham.

The £117 million signing from Aston Villa scored the Blues’ second goal at Craven Cottage to restore the lead before half-time, as he starred in an eye-catching attack with Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro.

It gave new manager Xabi Alonso a winning start in his first match in charge, hinting at the team's trajectory under his guidance.

Rogers played 82 minutes in his first competitive game since England’s wild World Cup third-place match victory against France five weeks ago, and feels he can still reach another level.

"Coming to a new team, you don’t want to come in sluggish and off the pace, so I tried to keep myself in the best shape as possible and I’ve tried to get up to speed as quickly as I can," said Rogers.

Rogers and Cole Palmer linked up to great effect on Monday (Getty)

"I still think there are more gears to go, and I’ve got to try and find them as quickly as possible because the games are coming thick and fast.

"But I felt good out there and I enjoyed it."

Chelsea’s attacking trio looked potent in the west London derby, with Rogers, Palmer and Joao Pedro combining fluidly despite playing together for the first time.

Joao Pedro’s goal after 31 seconds provided the early advantage, but a mistake from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez enabled Josh King to equalise. Rogers then restored the lead before Palmer made it three.

Of greater concern for Alonso was how Chelsea allowed Fulham back into the match. A shaky defensive display was exemplified by giving the hosts an avoidable goal through debutant Gonzalo Garcia following another Sanchez error.

"It was a great game to play in," said Rogers. "I thought the quality of our play was excellent and it was so enjoyable out there.

"Fulham is a difficult place to come to, and they played really well, but we had that fight, that grit and I think we were the better team on the night."

The game triggered further debate over Chelsea’s goalkeeping position, with Sanchez again proving prone to key errors. Speaking on Sky Sports, pundit Jamie Carragher was scathing of the Spaniard.

"Chelsea will never win the league with Sanchez in goal," he said. "Impossible. It can’t happen."