By Enitan Abdultawab
Joao Pedro made a dream start to life as Chelsea’s new No.9, scoring just 31 seconds into the Blues’ Premier League opener against Fulham on Monday.
The Brazilian forward opened the scoring at Craven Cottage with a brilliant chip over Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno after being played through by Cole Palmer.
Pedro’s early strike not only gave new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso the perfect start to his reign but also ended the club’s long-running struggles associated with the No.9 shirt.
The shirt has been worn by several high-profile forwards over the years, including Fernando Torres, Radamel Falcao, Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain, Romelu Lukaku and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with many failing to consistently find the net.
Liam Delap, who wore the number last season after joining Chelsea from Ipswich for £30m, scored just once in the Premier League while wearing it. He is now reportedly close to a £40m move to Nottingham Forest.
Pedro, who recently signed a new eight-year contract with Chelsea, wasted no time in showing he could have a very different relationship with the shirt.
His 31-second effort also set a new record for the fastest goal scored on the opening matchday of a Premier League season.
Chelsea went on to secure a 3-2 victory, with Morgan Rogers and Palmer also finding the net, while Josh King and Gonzalo Garcia scored for Fulham.
For Pedro, however, the night was particularly significant as he appeared to put the infamous Chelsea No.9 curse to rest almost immediately.
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