Kai Havertz doubled his Premier League goals tally with a brace as Chelsea edged rivals Fulham closer to the relegation trap door with a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge on Saturday
Havertz handed Chelsea a 10th-minute lead with a delicate, lofted finish after Mason Mount's sublime control and through pass
 The German added his second four minutes into the second half with another composed finish after combining with compatriot Timo Werner
With an eye perhaps on Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second leg with Real Madrid, Thomas Tuchel made five pre-match alterations
 Despite Fulham's valiant efforts, Chelsea were rarely tested and could have made the victory more handsome had it not been for a number of inspired saves from Alphonse Areola
Chelsea's 15th victory in all competitions under Tuchel sees them move to within two points of third-place Leicester and open up a six-point cushion to West Ham in fifth in the race for a top-four finish
For Fulham, defeat leaves them in 18th place, nine points adrift of Newcastle and Burnley having crucially played a game more than their relegation rivals
Fulham's plight towards the foot of the table left them with little option but to assert themselves from the first whistle, and they gave Chelsea a real fright inside five minutes when Antonee Robinson's drive forced Edouard Mendy into a fingertip save
The early pressure on the Chelsea goal forced Tuchel out of his seat on two occasions, with Reece James bearing the brunt of the tirade for his failure to move forward in support of the attack, and the hosts responded to their manager's rallying calls
Chelsea nearly took the lead on seven minutes when Hakim Ziyech linked up with Mason Mount and he played a square ball into the area which Timo Werner couldn't quite reach on the stretch
Mason exquisitely plucked the ball out of the air before slipping Havertz through on goal, and the German lifted the ball over the on-rushing Areola for his third Premier League goal
Havertz had the ball in the net eight minutes later when he latched onto another through ball from Mount and lifted the ball over Areola, but it was correctly ruled out for offside
Fulham grew after the reprieve, pushing for the equaliser as Ademola Lookman's rasping drive drew Mendy into another save in the Chelsea goal
Areola came to Fulham's rescue on 39 minutes as he anticipated Werner's square pass to Ziyech, committed early to the dive and kept the Morocco international's effort out with a save he had no right to make
 It wasn't long before he the Fulham stopper was called upon again, with Werner's low drive well kept out
Parker emphasised to his team the importance of reaching the interval without conceding a second, but Fulham very nearly hauled themselves level on the stroke of half-time, with Ola Aina's heavily deflected shot clawed off the line by Mendy
Fulham had failed to win any of the previous 54 Premier League games when they trailed at half-time, and their challenge was effectively ended within four minutes of the restart when Havertz and Werner had all the time in the world to bypass the Fulham defence with a one-two, and Havertz slotted his second past Areola
Parker introduced Aleksandar Mitrovic for the final 10 minutes but he failed to inspire their survival bid as Fulham failed to register a single attempt on target in the second half and drew a blank for the 16th time this season, and Chelsea warmed up for Wendesday's showdown with Madrid at a canter
"We knew Fulham gives everyone a hard time
 They make you under-perform, and they make you suffer
 You cannot get confused with the table
 That's why I have the highest respect for what we did today
 It was tough for us, but we hang in the game
 We could decide the match earlier, but it was a tough and a very important win
"We were spot on
 It was what we demanded from ourselves
 We showed the pride we are capable of - to do it in between two big games
 I'm beyond happy that we did it
 There was no lack of concentration
 We had some trouble which everyone against this Fulham side has but there was no lack of concentration and that was key
""Of course we've not got a positive result but in terms of attitude and desire we got that
 And I got a performance
 We've seen what this team are about, and we put our stamp on it
"Of course, overall, that quality from Chelsea came through in the two goals
 But honestly, I'm nothing but proud of my team
 In the last few weeks they have been some disappointing performances
"I understand the questions, but you take every game as it is
 You need a performance and I got that today
 But, like a few times this year, we've fallen short and this was one of them moments
""Havertz is my man of the match
 I could have given it to Mount because he was magnificent
 But two goals for Havertz, it's not been easy for him this season, he had COVID, he's had injuries, settled in a different country
 Those two goals today would have tasted sweet
 He finished them really tidily
"Next up for Chelsea is the second leg of their Champions League semi-final at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday at 8pm, before travelling to Manchester City on  at 5
30pm - live on Sky Sports Premier League
 Fulham host Burnley on at 8pm - live on Sky Sports Premier League
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