There was a point on Monday, as a Dominos pizza truck parked up next to Craven Cottage in the build-up to the game, when it became clear Chelsea's woeful form in front of goal was beginning to transform from a persistent narrative to a point of ridicule.
Dominos, in a clear (albeit potentially factual) publicity stunt, had a digital billboard showing how many pizzas they had sold in the five weeks since Chelsea last scored a Premier League goal. It was nearly 10 million and counting. It was humorous -- and for rival fans a bit of schadenfreude -- but more traditional stats about Chelsea's goal drought make for more grim reading.
Coming into Monday's local clash with rivals Fulham, Chelsea had not struck in the league since a 3-0 victory against Premier League strugglers Luton in August, despite the Blues creating chances. Chelsea's five goals were tied for the second-fewest in the Premier League this season (only Burnley had fewer) and their 5.5% shot conversion was the lowest of any team, failing to score with their previous 49 attempts on goal.
Chelsea looked bright from the beginning with their high pressing and quick passing causing problems for Fulham and although the home team looked capable of getting back into the match in the second half, Pochettino's men saw the result out and will hope to build on such a positive performance.
Fulham looked more threatening after the break and manager Marco Silva threw on forwards Alex Iwobi and Carlos Vinicius within the first 10 minutes.
Vinicius headed over before a heart-in-mouth moment for Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who was able to reclaim the ball after his goal kick was intercepted by Pereira.
Chelsea went agonisingly close to extending their lead when Maatsen thundered a strike against the left upright, with Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno saving smartly from Fernandez's follow-up.
Fulham's last match on Saturday was all defense as neither team scored a goal. Neither they nor Crystal Palace could gain the upper hand so the two teams had to settle for a 0-0 draw.
Meanwhile, the odds favored Chelsea last Sunday, but luck did not. They fell just short of Aston Villa by a score of 1-0. The matchup was a 0-0 toss-up at halftime, but Chelsea fell thanks to a single goal from Ollie Watkins at minute 73.
Fulham's record now sits at 2-2-2. Chelsea's loss on Sunday dropped their record down to 1-2-3.
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