Chelsea fell to a painful 2-1 defeat against London rivals Fulham on Boxing Day, as the visitors staged a historic comeback at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues, fresh off a 0-0 draw with Everton, sought to return to winning ways but were undone despite a promising start. Enzo Maresca’s side entered the match with confidence, having last lost to Fulham at Stamford Bridge 45 years ago in 1979.

Chelsea’s opener came through a moment of brilliance from Cole Palmer. Picking up the ball from Levi Colwill, Palmer drove at the Fulham defense, weaving past two defenders before firing a left-footed strike into the bottom corner—a goal reminiscent of Eden Hazard’s iconic finish against West Ham.

Palmer nearly doubled his tally shortly after, but Bernd Leno denied him with a fine save. Chelsea continued to dominate, with Marc Cucurella missing a golden opportunity to extend the lead after Enzo Fernandez delivered a pinpoint free-kick. Leno was again on hand to parry Cucurella’s header.

The Blues thought they had a second goal early in the second half when Colwill headed in a Palmer cross, but the effort was ruled offside. Despite Chelsea’s control, Fulham remained dangerous, with Alex Iwobi curling an effort narrowly wide and Robert Sanchez making a crucial save to deny Antonee Robinson.

As the match progressed, Fulham found their breakthrough. Substitute Harry Wilson headed home in the 80th minute to level the score, marking Fulham’s first goal at Stamford Bridge since 2011.

Chelsea had a chance to regain the lead when a Cucurella header found Jadon Sancho, but the loanee’s strike was again saved by the outstanding Leno.

Fulham completed the turnaround in the dying moments. Capitalizing on a Chelsea error, the visitors launched a swift counter-attack, allowing substitute Rodrigo Muniz to fire low into the bottom corner, sealing the win for Marco Silva’s side.

The defeat marks a bitter end to Chelsea’s Boxing Day hopes, as Fulham celebrated their first win at Stamford Bridge in nearly half a century.