Chelsea’s winless run reached four games on Saturday, as the Blues took an early lead at Selhurst Park but couldn’t finish the job and settled for a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.
WATCH – Crystal Palace vs Chelsea full match replay
Cole Palmer bagged his 13th goal of the Premier League season (to go with 6 assists) as Chelsea started well before eventually fading. Jean-Philippe Mateta got on the end of Eberechi Eze’s perfect pass in the 82nd minute and then it was the Eagles who almost went and won it late on.
The draw sees Chelsea (4th - 36 points) slip to within just one point of 5th-place Newcastle and two ahead of resurgent Manchester City in 6th. Crystal Palace (15th - 21 points) are now just one point behind Manchester United in 14th, for the time being at least.
How many cracks does Romeo Lavia actually paper over?
Not to sound like a broken record (here, and down below), but Chelsea were once again just another side twisting in the wind (that also happened to cost well over a billion dollars to assemble) without Romeo Lavia in the side. The oft-injured Belgian missed his fifth straight PL game with a hamstring injury. Chelsea looked terribly susceptible to the counter-attack as they desperately clung to a narrow lead for most of the second half, leaving a makeshift defense even more exposed without its midfield marshal there to shield. Aside from Palmer’s goal and a big chance from a corner kick in the 28th minute, Chelsea didn’t create much of note either so his absence is surely felt there as well. Palace let themselves get a bit too open and exposed in the first half, thus most of Chelsea’s best moves came on the counter. When that went away after halftime, Chelsea simply had no answers to unlock Palace’s defense and put the game away.
Player ratings - Crystal Palace vs Chelsea
What’s next?
- Chelsea vs Morecambe — Saturday, 10 am ET (FA Cup third round)
- Crystal Palace vs Stockport County — Sunday, 10 am ET
- Chelsea vs Bournemouth — Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2:30 pm ET (next PL fixture)
- Leicester vs Crystal Palace — Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2:30 pm ET
Crystal Palace vs Chelsea live updates - by Andy Edwards
Crystal Palace vs Chelsea live score: 1-1
Goalscorers: Cole Palmer (14'), Jean-Philippe Mateta (82')
GOAL! Crystal palace 1-1 Chelsea: Mateta taps home Eze’s perfect pass (82')
GOAL! Crystal Palace 0-1 Chelsea: Palmer finishes after Sancho finds with in acres of space (14')
Chelsea starting lineup
Sanchez - Gusto, Acheampong, Colwill, Cucurella - Caicedo, Fernandez, Palmer - Neto, Sancho, Jackson
Crystal Palace starting lineup
Henderson - Richards, Lacroix, Guehi - Munoz, Doucoure, Lerma, Mitchell - Sarr, Eze, Mateta
How to watch Crystal Palace vs Chelsea live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 10 am ET Saturday (January 4)
Venue: Selhurst Park — London
TV Channel: Peacock
Streaming: Premier League on Peacock
Back-to-back losses to Fulham and Ipswich effectively ended Chelsea’s title challenge just as quickly as it had begun the week prior. After scoring 16 goals during their recent five-game win streak, the Blues (4th - 35 points) have just one goal during the three-game winless run (0W-1D-2L). Coincidentally (or perhaps not), Romeo Lavia was absent those three games due to injury just as the defense started to crack and the attack falter. Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez might have both cost (significantly) more than him, but Lavia is the one player they simply cannot function without. Unfortunately for Chelsea, the 20-year-old made just one appearance during his first season at the club and has already missed time on three occasions this season. When he’s on the field, he’s brilliant and Chelsea are a force.
Crystal Palace (15th - 20 points) are fresh off a slightly controversial victory over last-place Southampton and Eberechi Eze’s first PL goal since Sept. 1 was the winner. Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr (4 goals each) have carried the Eagles’ attack for much of the season as Eze (2 goals, 2 assists) struggles to adapt to life without Michael Olise. If Palace can pull off the upset on Saturday, their run could go on for some while yet as each of their next six games are against mid-table or lower sides.
Crystal Palace team news, focus
OUT: Will Hughes (foot), Adam Wharton (groin), Trevoh Chalobah (loan - parent club), Rob Holding (undisclosed), Matheus Franca (groin), Franco Umeh (thigh)
Chelsea team news, focus
OUT: Wesley Fofana (hamstring), Mykhailo Mudryk (suspension), Reece James (hamstring), Benoit Badiashile (undisclosed), Kieran Dewsbury-Hall (knock), Omari Kellyman (thigh) | QUESTIONABLE: Romeo Lavia (undisclosed), Carney Chukwuemeka (illness)
Crystal Palace vs Chelsea prediction
If Lavia can’t go, Eze could cause Caicedo and Fernandez plenty of problems with his creative passing, but Will Hughes’ absence (announced late in the week) complicates matters. Crystal Palace 2-2 Chelsea.
