Chelsea forward Joao Pedro has opened up on how he feels while playing with Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers. The trio impressed as Chelsea beat Fulham 3-2 to begin their 2026/27 Premier League campaign with a win on Monday.
It took Pedro just 31 seconds to break the deadlock at Craven Cottage after Palmer slipped in a pass for him to find the back of the net. Morgan Rogers got in on the act to restore the Blues’ lead in the 41st minute after Josh King levelled the scores for Fulham.
Thanks for the submission!
Pedro then returned the favour to Palmer in the second half as he turned provider for the Englishman to get on the scoresheet. Chelsea ended up conceding again in the 54th minute but held on to secure maximum points.
While there are still issues for Chelsea to iron out in defence and with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, the fans were thrilled by what they saw from the front-three involving Pedro, Palmer and Rogers.
Pedro and Palmer got a goal and assist each, while Rogers created five chances – the most by a player on debut in the Premier League since records began in 2003/04 – alongside his strike.
Understandably, Pedro is delighted about the opportunity to play with Palmer and Rogers. The Brazilian hailed his partners in attack as ‘special players’. The forward also admitted that he has to get ready to score because Palmer and Rogers can feed him often.
Pedro also pointed to how it will be difficult for defenders to deal with the trio since they have full freedom from Xabi Alonso to move around and interchange positions.
He told reporters:
“Cole and Morgan are special players. Everyone knows that. I’m very grateful to play with them because I know if I make some runs, if you know Cole, Morgan’s going to give the ball to me and I have to be ready to score. So it’s very special.
“I think now in the game, if we move a lot, it will be difficult for defenders to pick up one player to stay. And the manager let us be free on the pitch, so we understand each other well. I think this helps us, and hopefully, it can happen more times.”
Pedro also expressed his desire to win the biggest trophies at Stamford Bridge alongside Palmer and Rogers. He admitted that he wants the Blues to continue in the same vein of form from here.
“When you play for Chelsea, you always need to look for that (the biggest trophies), and I think we’ve already had a great game to show our power and hopefully we can continue like this in the season.”
Pedro recently signed a contract extension with Chelsea. The new deal keeps him at the club until 2032, with the club holding the option to extend it for two more years.
Joao Pedro makes feelings clear about picking ‘cursed’ no.9 shirt at Chelsea
After signing an improved contract at Stamford Bridge, Pedro opted to change his shirt number too. Last season, the forward donned no.20 on the back of his shirt and bagged 20 goals for the club.
With Pedro deciding to pick up the no.9 shirt from this season, fans have been talking of the curse surrounding it. The thought of the shirt being cursed comes from several big strikers failing to deliver while donning the number 9. That list includes Hernan Crespo, Fernando Torres, Radamel Falcao, Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain and Romelu Lukaku among others.
However, Pedro still remains confident about wearing the shirt. When asked about the curse, he said:
“I just try to do my job. I don’t believe in that. Every player is different. I think now I know my responsibility in the group, but I don’t think numbers can decide this pressure.”
Pedro will hope he can win the Premier League golden boot award this season, which would put an end to the infamous no.9 curse at Stamford Bridge.
Edited by Nived Zenith