Chelsea defender David Luiz opened up the scoring against Fulham on Wednesday with one of the slickest goals of the season. Luiz will turn 26-years-old on Monday and gave himself an early present with his 35-yard strike that gave Chelsea an early lead that they never gave up.
Chelsea’s captain John Terry added two goals in the match as the Blues went on to beat Fulham 3-0. Both clubs were quiet early on until Luiz’s spectacular goal.
Fulham failed to pressure Chelsea outside of a quick chance by Urby Emmanuelson in the 36th minute. Chelsea’s goalkeeper Petr Cech made the stop as the first half winded down. John Terry scored his first of the game inside the 43rd minute to give the Blues a 2-0 lead at the half.
He scored again in the 71st minute as Chelsea went on to their 10th win in the Barclays Premier League this season. With the win, Chelsea has moved ahead of Arsenal for third place in the Premier League standings with 61 points.
David Luiz’s early goal took the spotlight at Craven Cottage in West London. Luiz has five goals on the season throughout Chelsea’s multiple tournament appearances and the Premier League, but none was greater than his strike on Wednesday. Here’s video of the distance score against Fulham:
The Blues had lost three straight matches on the road in the Premier League before topping Fulham 3-0. They are now set-up well to qualify for the Champions League after the win on Wednesday.
Fulham hasn’t fared well against Chelsea in the past and has just one win over the Blues in the last 33 years, according to BBC Sport . Their struggles against Chelsea haven’t hurt them in the Premier League table this year as they are currently in 10th place and well above the relegation line.
Fulham will next meet Arsenal at home on Saturday while the Blues take on Liverpool on Sunday. Chelsea has six Premier League fixtures left and a semi-final match-up with FC Basel in the Europa League . If the Blues hold off FC Basel they will face the winner of Fenerbahce and St. Benifica in the Europa League final.
Can Chelsea continue playing well enough on the pitch to hold on to third place in the Premier League over Arsenal? Will the Blues take out FC Basel and advance to the Europa League final?
[Image via Creative Commons ]