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LONDON -- The battle of the former Real Madrid managers in west London ended with Xabi Alonso's Chelsea coming out on top against his fellow debutant Álvaro Arbeloa in a hugely entertaining clash. Chelsea beat Fulham 3-2 at Craven Cottage in their Premier League opener on the back of an inspired Cole Palmer performance. João Pedro gave the Alonso era liftoff after just 31 seconds with a delicately dinked finish from a Palmer through-ball. Fulham looked at risk of facing a battering, but recovered admirably to claw their way back into the game. Josh King brought the hosts level with a well taken finish but Chelsea finished the half in the lead courtesy of Morgan Rogers. The England international was making his debut following his record move from Aston Villa and marked the occasion with an ice cold goal and celebration. Joao Pedro turned provider for Palmer soon after the break, with the Chelsea No. 10 scoring clinically from a tight angle. It seemed like game over for Fulham but new signing Gonzalo García's goal near the hour mark set up an intriguing final half-hour. Fulham pressed hard for a way back, but Chelsea held firm to give Alonso a winning start on his debut. New signings hit the ground running There were a host of new faces for Chelsea at Craven Cottage, with Alonso naming five of their summer signings in his first Premier League squad. The two in the starting lineup -- Rogers and Maxence Lacroix -- proved an unlikely combination for the Blues' second goal. Despite his World Cup exertions, Rogers started on the left wing while Lacroix was on the right of a back-three. The former Aston Villa man had a quiet start in blue, and was partly to blame for Fulham's first goal after being slow to react to a one-two between Timothy Castagne and King. However, he quickly made amends with his goal towards the end of the half. Palmer's well-timed through-ball found an overlapping Lacroix, who showed a daintiness you wouldn't expect from a lanky centre-back to turn Jorge Cuenca inside out and square an inviting ball across goal. The goal will ease some of the pressure on Rogers, who joined Chelsea for a club-record fee, and it didn't take long for Chelsea fans to begin chanting his name. It will help him avoid facing the type of scrutiny faced by high-profile signings of the past like Jadon Sancho and Florian Wirtz, who had to wait a long time to open their accounts. The same holds true for Garcia, who joined for a significantly lesser fee but shoulders similar levels of expectations. The forward has become the unwitting face of the Arbeloa era given their Madrid connection, and he made an impressive debut. His goal in the second half showed the instinctiveness previously seen in the Club World Cup, and he matched up well physically with Chelsea's centre-backs. Despite his stature, there were some deft touches and flicks. As his connection with his teammates grows, so will his influence. Enzo Fernández faces a noisy season Enzo Fernández has dominated the English summer. His showing for Argentina at the World Cup saw him attain the status of pantomime villain, and his pursuit by Manchester City has been the transfer window's dominant saga. Yet, the Argentine looked unruffled while warming up pre-match. He cut a relaxed figure while passing the ball around with Valentín Barco, Pep Chavarría and Pedro Neto. He was then greeted by loud booing from the Fulham fans as he emerged from the tunnel to take his place on the bench. The midfielder had been booed by certain sections of Chelsea fans in preseason but it was hard to tell if he was dished the same treatment by the away end. The booing hit fever-pitch when he came on in the second half to help see the game out. Craven Cottage belied its reputation as one of the Premier League's most genteel atmospheres with the treatment it dished out for him. It's worth noting that there was also warm applause from some of the Chelsea fans when he came on. Fernández was his typical, busy self in his cameo. And in the closing stages, his chant was audible from the away end. It's not all water under the bridge and there's still a chance he could leave before the transfer window closes next Tuesday. But, his reception at the Cottage could be a sign of things to come for him this season. Irrespective if he wears Chelsea or City blue. Robert Sánchez has a night to forget The signings of Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck displayed a change in strategy from Chelsea in the transfer market towards imbuing the squad with experience. However, the club's tendency to repeatedly ignore their problems between the sticks remains. Robert Sánchez's continued struggles in goal again underlined the belief that Chelsea won't be able to compete for serious honours with him in goal. The Spaniard had a nervy start to the evening, after letting a simple back pass roll out for a corner. It set the tone for him, as Fulham forwards and fans alike pounced on his indecision in the box. King's shot for Fulham's opener was struck with venom, but Sánchez's positioning was suspect and he let the ball slide right under his hands. His flapped save from a Castagne effort in the second half went straight to Garcia, who headed home to setup a frantic final half-hour for Chelsea. Sánchez, who was briefly dropped for his performances in the second half of last season, had spoken of the calm Alonso had brought to Chelsea since joining. Sánchez, however, is struggling to inspire similar feelings with his performances.