Chelsea registered just their second Premier League win of the season on Monday night with a 2-0 victory at Fulham.
The Blues prevailed in the west London derby thanks to first-half goals from Mykhailo Mudryk - his first since his mega-money move from Shakhtar Donetsk in January - and Armando Broja on his first start in nearly a year.
The pressure on head coach Mauricio Pochettino has been eased ahead of a tough run. After the upcoming international break, Chelsea will take on Arsenal, Brentford, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United in the Premier League.
Chelsea have climbed to 11th in the standings following their triumph at Craven Cottage, leapfrogging Fulham in the process.
Incredibly, this is the first time that the Blues have won a Premier League game that started the game above them in the table in over two years.
Prior to Monday, the last time Chelsea took three points against a side ahead of them came in May 2021 when they beat top-four rivals Leicester City 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. That result proved crucial in helping the Blues finish ahead of the Foxes in the final table, though Brendan Rodgers' men would get their revenge in the FA Cup final later that month.
This win also marked the return of fans to stadiums as the UK's covid vaccination rollout continued.
Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva are the only starters from that day who remain at Chelsea. Edouard Mendy, Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Timo Werner have all since left.
Following that win on the penultimate weekend of the 2020/21 season, Chelsea embarked on an 18-match run without victory against a team higher in the table, drawing five games and losing 13.
This run includes the entirety of Graham Potter's reign as well as Frank Lampard's brief return to the club as caretaker manager. The latter only managed one win in his nine-game spell in total, beating relegation-battling Bournemouth 3-1 at the Vitality Stadium.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Chelsea end staggering record stretching back to May 2021 with win at Fulham.