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Xabi Alonso arrived at Craven Cottage looking to mark another Premier League first. Twenty-two years ago, he scored his first goal in England’s top flight for Liverpool. Now, up against former Liverpool team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa, who is chasing a similar milestone, Alonso created another fond memory on his first match as Chelsea manager.

Many had expected his return to English football to happen with Liverpool, but Chelsea supporters already appear thankful that he has ended up in London. It was by no means a flawless display, yet the win in a five-goal thriller against Fulham provided plenty of reasons for optimism.

A combination of heavy investment and notable summer omissions seems to have helped shape one of the league’s most dangerous front threes. Morgan Rogers produced evidence that he can justify his £117m fee. Cole Palmer, eager to respond after being left out of the World Cup, suddenly looked like a serious threat again after what, by his own standards, had been an underwhelming season. His understanding with Joao Pedro clicked into place within just 31 seconds.

Chelsea’s front three stole the show against Fulham.

“They are going to be a very important part of the team,” Alonso said, with the Chelsea head coach now wanting the rest of the squad to rise to the standard shown by that trio on Monday night. “To build [the team] around them, no. To build the team with them. They need to take responsibility, they need to lead the rest, they need to inspire the rest, because if they do great, the other ones will follow.

“We need to reach them in the best possible situations. We need to have good links to reach them, and they need to help the team to be solid. I'm happy for the three of them. They have played for the team and they have scored, so it's always important for the strikers.”

Some Chelsea players are nearer to that level than others. Maxence Lacroix was another debutant who impressed, and his unexpected assist for Rogers was the finishing touch on an authoritative display in an otherwise less-than-perfect back three. Jorrel Hato also made his mark at left wing-back, with his attacking drive underlining how adaptable the defender could be in an Alonso system.

There were still doubts in central midfield, although neither Enzo Fernandez nor Moises Caicedo started. Alonso was pleased to hear Chelsea fans once again singing the Argentinian’s name, even if it was almost drowned out by loud boos from the home support, who still seem to harbour a World Cup grievance. “Football is emotional, we have to accept in this situation,” Alonso said, clearly keen to move ahead with Fernandez still part of his plans. He now appears likely to remain at the club this season unless there is more late transfer-window drama, while only injury seems likely to stop Caicedo from anchoring Chelsea’s midfield, just as he did at the Cottage.

Yet one obvious problem still hangs over Chelsea, regardless of the manager in charge or the tactical system being used. Alonso’s return to the Premier League was close to becoming far less successful because of the player in goal.

It was another dreadful outing from Robert Sanchez, whose familiar mistakes once again put points in danger. Josh King’s equaliser, which Sanchez inexplicably allowed to slip in at his near post, carried an xG of 0.07 - the lowest of any goal scored over the weekend. He then gave Fulham another route back into the contest by pushing Timothy Castagne’s effort straight into the path of Gonzalo Garcia.

Robert Sanchez endured another poor evening in the Chelsea goal.

For all Chelsea’s spending, Sanchez remains the weak link, and no obvious replacement has yet managed to take his place in the side. Perhaps 21-year-old Mike Penders could eventually become the goalkeeping answer the club has been seeking for so long, but throwing him straight into the team would run against Chelsea’s badly needed attempt to move away from the chaos of relying too heavily on youth; that approach did not work with Filip Jorgensen last season.

Alonso did not appear ready to abandon Sanchez as his No 1 after a single poor performance. “It's about the team, it's not about the individual. As I said before, we can adjust a few things. The first goal, we can do better to defend, we can do better to avoid, but it's part of the game. We need to accept and to learn from them, and this is going to be a process ... Relax and carry on.”

Patience will be needed during Alonso’s rebuild. The expectation that he should transform last season’s 10th-placed side into title contenders within the course of this campaign is unfairly ambitious, even if that may be the mindset inside the Stamford Bridge boardroom. For that reason, there should not be an overreaction when certain players underperform in the opening phase of this “process”. Levi Colwill and Romeo Lavia, two players whose development has been heavily interrupted by injury, were among those who also failed to convince against Fulham.

Xabi Alonso again stressed that Chelsea are in a “process” and gave no sign that he has already lost faith in Sanchez.

But when it comes to Sanchez, now going into his fourth season as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper, patience is starting to run out. Chelsea escaped without damage on this occasion, but there is no guarantee they will do so next time.

Unlike Chelsea’s previous managers during the BlueCo era, Alonso will have a direct voice in deciding whether this latest Sanchez disaster should trigger late movement in the transfer market. Emi Martinez stands out as an obvious and available option if the club chooses to act.

Even so, Alonso’s remarks and composed manner suggest he is unlikely to support any hasty change in personnel at this point. That could yet prove to be an obstacle to his project in a hugely important first season.