Chelsea's record signing Morgan Rogers scored on his debut as the London club defeated Fulham 3-2 on Monday, giving new coach Xabi Alonso a winning start to the Premier League season.

Rogers, who joined Chelsea from Aston Villa last month, put his side ahead four minutes before halftime, calmly finishing a well-placed cutback from Maxence Lacroix.

Brazilian forward João Pedro had given Chelsea the lead just 32 seconds into the match, but Fulham responded through Josh King, who leveled the score midway through the first half.

Cole Palmer, one of Chelsea's standout performers, restored the visitors' advantage in the 49th minute. He fired into the net from a tight angle after receiving a pass from João Pedro.

Fulham quickly reduced the deficit when Gonzalo García headed the ball down and into the net after Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez could only parry Timothy Castagne's low shot.

The hosts then pressed forward in search of an equalizer, but Chelsea held on for the victory.

Chelsea's attacking trio drew praise for an impressive display, with Alonso describing the performance as “a good first day.”

“It is a great combination and great quality,” Alonso said. “We know that if we reach them in a good position then they have this talent to create special things. Today I am happy that all three scored.”

The match also saw Alonso face his former Real Madrid and Spain teammate Álvaro Arbeloa, who was making his first appearance in the Fulham dugout.

“We deserved a little bit more but football is not about what you deserve, it's about what you take,” Arbeloa said after the defeat, while praising his players' attitude.

“This is how we're going to play no matter who is in front of us,” he added.

Alonso and Arbeloa both managed Real Madrid for periods last season before leaving the Santiago Bernabeu and moving to England. On Monday, Alonso came out on top in an entertaining contest at Craven Cottage.

Chelsea have spent more than 300 million pounds ($408 million) on new players and are among the early favorites to challenge defending champions Arsenal.