LONDON - New Fulham boss Roy Hodgson endured a losing start to his Cottagers reign as Chelsea overcame a lifeless first half to overpower their west London rivals.
Danny Murphy blasted Fulham ahead with a 10th minute penalty, a lead which deservedly remained intact until the interval.
But Chelsea clicked into gear after half-time with two goals in eight minutes keeping them snapping at the heels of the English Premier League's top two.
Salomon Kalou nodded them level before Michael Ballack landed the decisive blow with a disputed penalty awarded when Clint Dempsey tugged the German's shirt.
Fulham may have a new manager but the same Achilles heel which had crippled Lawrie Sanchez's disastrous stint in charge continued to haunt Craven Cottage.
They have now dropped 22 points from winning positions - a shortcoming which has plunged them into the relegation zone - and they faded dramatically in the second half when Chelsea upped the tempo.
Hodgson had told his players they would be given the chance to prove themselves ahead of his expected spending spree over the coming weeks.
But after Tuesday's match, the 60-year-old, who has reportedly been handed a £15million transfer kitty, will be more aware than ever that he must strengthen if the club is to escape the drop.
Fulham have beaten their neighbours just once since 1979 but Tuesday's clash was a superb chance to improve that record with Chelsea decimated by injury.
Avram Grant was missing the spine of his Blues team in Petr Cech, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba - among a host of others - but his near-reserve line-up still possessed too much class for the Cottagers.
The victory ensured Chelsea finished their festive schedule with seven points from three games - a fine return given their injury problems.
It had looked very different at the start, however, with just 90 seconds on the clock when Diomansy Kamara tested goalkeeper Hilario at the near post following a classy interchange from Paul Konchesky and Simon Davies.
Fulham continued their lively start with Kamara and Danny Murphy seeing plenty of ball, but they were caught on the break in the sixth minute.
Joe Cole did the initial damage with a well-timed run that swept him past Moritz Volz and he expertly picked out Kalou, only for Antti Niemi to pluck the shot from the air.
Chelsea created another great chance moments later with Steven Davis running into a trio of Blue shirts and giving possession away.
Kalou emerged with the ball and threaded a clever pass to Shaun Wright-Phillips, who sprinted clear before directing a poor effort wide of the left post.
Fulham succeeded in the 10th minute where their local rivals had failed - with a bit of help from Cole.
Volz skipped around Wayne Bridge and into the box only to have his ankle clipped by Cole - and referee Mark Halsey pointed to the spot, with Murphy making no mistake.
A handball from Kalou saw the Ivorian forward break clean through but Halsey had seen the infringement and Davies, who had been switched to left midfield, then blazed over.
Kalou wasted a reasonable chance following some poor defending before Murphy curled a free-kick inches over the crossbar.
Fulham continued to look the more sprightly but Chelsea's superior class evened the odds in an increasingly competitive match.
Davies stole the ball from Juliano Belletti but dithered too long after slipping into the area and the opportunity to extend Fulham's lead had gone.
The Cottagers' enthusiasm failed to wane, however, and Chelsea were coming under growing pressure, especially on the break with their lethargic midfield looking particularly vulnerable.
Grant replaced the anonymous Steve Sidwell with Mikel John Obi for the second half, reverting to the line-up that defeated Newcastle.
The Blues looked fired up as they tore into Fulham and felt aggrieved not to have won a penalty when Dejan Stefanovic handled Wright-Phillips' cross.
But they could not be denied in the 54th minute when Belletti whipped in a precision corner to Alex, who directed a header across the face of goal.
Kalou still had work to do, but leaping between Bocanegra and Davies he connected cleanly and Niemi had no chance.
Cole flashed a shot narrowly wide and Ballack was beaten to the ball by Stefanovic in the nick of time.
The German continued to be a menace to Fulham's defence and he was on target from the spot for Chelsea's second as the title chasers began to overwhelm their opponents.
Ballack broke into the box but his shirt was tugged by Dempsey and Halsey, who was well placed, had no hesitation in awarding a penalty.
Substitute David Healy and Cole had half-chances but it was Fulham who enjoyed the brighter moments of a nervy finish.
Their late dominance failed to pay off, however, as Chelsea held firm through four minutes of injury-time to thwart their London rivals.
