‘It’s a shocker’ – Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez faced criticism after an error against Fulham

Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez has come under fresh scrutiny after pundit Alan Smith criticised his performance during the Blues’ dramatic 3-2 Premier League victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Chelsea ultimately secured all three points after an entertaining London derby, but Sanchez’s contribution to Fulham’s first goal has raised questions about his reliability and potentially his long-term position under new manager Xabi Alonso.

The Spanish goalkeeper was unable to prevent Josh King from scoring, despite Chelsea establishing an early advantage through Joao Pedro.

Chelsea could hardly have dreamed of a better beginning to Alonso’s Premier League reign. Joao Pedro opened the scoring after just 31 seconds, converting an early opportunity to give the visitors a dream start.

However, Chelsea’s advantage was not enough to prevent Fulham from fighting their way back into the game.

Josh King eventually levelled the score, with Sanchez’s attempt to deal with the effort coming under immediate scrutiny.

Although Chelsea recovered to claim a 3-2 victory, the goalkeeper’s mistake became one of the major talking points after the final whistle.

Speaking on Sky Sports, former Arsenal striker and football pundit Alan Smith delivered a blunt assessment of Sanchez’s involvement in the goal.

“Sanchez has got to stop it. You shouldn’t be scoring from there; he probably didn’t even expect to score from there,” Smith said.

The pundit suggested that Sanchez appeared uncomfortable from the early stages of the match, raising concerns about the goalkeeper’s confidence.

“He’s looked nervous from the off. Dear oh dear. It will be interesting to see if Chelsea make a move for a new goalkeeper. This might nudge them in that direction because it’s a shocker from the Spanish goalkeeper,” Smith added.