Fulham vs Chelsea: Joao Pedro makes history as Chelsea’s No.9 curse fades

Joao Pedro needed just 31 seconds to make his mark as Chelsea’s new No.9, scoring a record-breaking goal in the Blues’ Premier League opener against Fulham on Monday.

The Brazilian forward raced through after a pass from Cole Palmer before calmly lifting the ball over Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno to give Chelsea an early lead at Craven Cottage.

The stunning start also handed new Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso an ideal beginning to his tenure and offered hope that the club’s troubled history with the No.9 shirt may finally be over.

Chelsea’s No.9 has previously been worn by several high-profile attackers, including Fernando Torres, Radamel Falcao, Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain, Romelu Lukaku and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Despite their reputations, many struggled to produce regular goals while wearing the shirt.

Delap was the latest player to face the same challenge. After joining Chelsea from Ipswich for £30m, he scored only once in the Premier League last season while wearing No.9. He is now reportedly close to completing a £40m move to Nottingham Forest.

Pedro, who recently signed an eight-year contract extension with Chelsea, immediately showed signs that his experience with the shirt could be very different.

His goal after only 31 seconds also established a new record for the fastest strike on the opening matchday of a Premier League season.

Chelsea went on to win the entertaining encounter 3-2, with Morgan Rogers and Palmer adding to the scoresheet for the visitors, while Josh King and Gonzalo Garcia scored for Fulham.

But beyond the victory, Pedro’s lightning-fast goal was particularly important for Chelsea, as the new No.9 appeared to have broken the club’s infamous shirt curse from the very beginning.

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