Stung by a shock 2-1 defeat to Legia Warsaw in the UEFA Conference League, Chelsea now pivot to domestic survival, their Champions League dreams teetering on the brink. Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, brings a crucible at Craven Cottage, the final London derby of the season, where the Blues must slay their demons to keep pace in the Premier League’s top-five race.
For Fulham, it’s a shot at history, a chance to complete a league double over their neighbors for the first time in 40 campaigns. In this tale of two clubs with European ambitions, only one can emerge from the Riverside cauldron with momentum.
Chelsea’s away form is a festering wound. Winless in their last eight league road trips—five losses, three draws—the Blues have stumbled far from the swagger of the first half of the season. Now in sixth with 54 points after 32 games, Enzo Maresca’s men trail third-placed Newcastle United (59 points) and fourth-placed Nottingham Forest (57 points), with the clock ticking to secure a Champions League return after two years in the wilderness.
Trips to St James’ Park and the City Ground loom in May, but first, they must conquer the Cottage, where history offers solace: Chelsea have won five of their last six Premier League away games against Fulham, their lone blemish a 2-1 defeat in January 2023.
Fulham, meanwhile, are no mere spoilers. The Cottagers, eighth with 48 points, harbor UEFA Conference League aspirations—a return to Europe not seen since their 2011–12 Europa League run. A historic double beckons after their seismic 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day 2024, their first league victory there in 45 years.
Marco Silva’s side have toppled Chelsea twice in their last five league meetings—more than in their prior 35 combined (W1, D12, L22)—but inconsistency dogs them. Fresh off a 1-0 loss at Bournemouth, with just two wins in their last five, Fulham’s European hopes hinge on rediscovering the spark that floored Liverpool 3-2 at home.
This Easter Sunday clash carries a peculiar mystique. Fulham’s fourth-ever league game on the holy day has yielded mixed fortunes—wins over Manchester City (2009) and Wigan (2010), but a 3-1 thrashing by Aston Villa in 2021. Chelsea’s own Easter record is grim: since a 2-1 triumph over Arsenal in 2008, they’ve fallen twice on this day, to Manchester United (2-0, 2017) and Tottenham (3-1, 2018). Both sides will need divine intervention to tip the scales.
Chelsea’s squad, bar the season-long absence of Wesley Fofana, is primed for battle. Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández, rested for the Legia debacle, should anchor the midfield with renewed vigor, their legs spared for this derby crucible. Fulham, boasting a clean bill of health, have no excuses—every weapon in Silva’s arsenal is ready to fire.
For the Blues, a top-five finish is the golden ticket to Champions League glory; for the Cottagers, a Conference League berth would crown a spirited campaign. In this West London war, with Europe’s siren call echoing, expect a battle to the last breath.