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Xabi Alonso reflected on his Premier League debut as the manager of Chelsea against Fulham. The Blues had seen Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool drop points during the weekend, so they knew that they could not rest on their laurels as a ‘Big Six’ outfit on the opening matchday. ·‘It was a good first day’ Joao Pedro put the team on their way to three points with a chipped finish from a Cole Palmer through ball, and the number ten threaded another brilliant pass to Maxence Lacroix, who assisted fellow debutant Morgan Rogers late in the first half. That strike restored the lead after a Josh King leveller, and Palmer put the visitors two goals to the good on the counter just after the restart. A Gonzalo Garcia effort was not enough to earn the hosts a point at Craven Cottage, and Alonso felt there was enough from the performance to put down foundations for the following weeks of football. “It feels very good, for sure. We know how tough it is to win any Premier League game, and any away Premier League game. We prepared for an intense game, and I feel it was a very professional, solid performance, showing maturity and managing the difficult moments. “We got the lead quite early, had chances to score the second one, but after the equaliser we were through ten minutes when we didn’t choose the right moments to press and the movements. “We corrected this well and in the second half, we felt comfortable without the ball, controlling the game. It was a performance to build for the future. There are things to improve for sure, but it was a good first day. “[It’s important] to manage in difficult moments, not to lose this emotional control. We know that the Premier League is fantastic because sometimes the games are out of your hands. You don’t control them, so players on the pitch need to know how to manage it – it’s as important as the tactics being right. It’s a process but today we went through good moments on that and we need to carry on that. “We’re happy to play our first Premier League game of the season. My first official Premier League game with Chelsea felt great; in this stadium with our fans at the end, celebrating with them. I had the feeling before kick-off that they were excited and they were hoping to see a good performance from the team, a serious one, and one they could see that we gave everything and fought for everything. “I saw happy faces in the end and it’s important to create this bond. It’s early days, first game, but a good one.”