Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea: Match report & talking points from scrappy Selhurst Park draw

Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea: Match report & talking points from scrappy Selhurst Park draw

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  • Chelsea fall to another frustrating draw against Crystal Palace
  • Cole Palmer opened scoring before Blues lost control again
  • Jean-Philippe Mateta netted deserved equaliser

Chelsea’s winless run extended to four games as they were deservedly held to a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Cole Palmer’s early goal looked to have ended Chelsea’s misfortunes but their familiar woes surfaced after the second half as Palace roared into the ascendancy. Jean-Philippe Mateta netted late on to cut Chelsea’s hold on to fourth spot in the Premier League standings to just one point.

How the game unfolded

Jadon Sancho sent an ambitious volley crashing over the bar in the opening stages but, after being denied a goal, opted for an assist. An excellent solo run ended with a cut-back to Palmer, who took his time and rolled the ball beyond Dean Henderson to opening the scoring 14 minutes in.

Chelsea perhaps should have doubled their lead just a few minutes later when Nicolas Jackson crashed wide at the back post following a free-kick.

Sensing the need to raise their game, Palace duly responded and began to offer some threat going forwards, but they were nearly punished when Pedro Neto got in behind and sent a low cross towards Palmer, who simply could not stretch far enough to tap the ball home.

Mateta dragged wide as Palace searched for a response, while at the other end, an excellent Palmer pass put Jackson through on goal for another strike which bent around Henderson’s post.The second half began with a fast tempo and Ebere Eze spurned his own opportunity to tie things up just minutes after the restart, unable to steer the excellent Daniel Munoz’s cut-back beyond Robert Sanchez.

Chelsea had their moments going forwards but were routinely penned back by Palace as the clock ticked on, and the hosts’ mounting pressure finally told as Mateta tapped home from close range from an Eze cross in the 82nd minute.

It was the least Palace deserved from a lively second-half showing that saw them end proceedings with six shots on target compared to Chelsea’s one.

Sanchez’s mixed return

After being dropped to the bench for the 2-0 defeat to Ipswich Town, Robert Sanchez made his return to the starting lineup here, producing another mixed performance.

Sanchez continues to prove his relative reliability with his hands, but with his feet, the Spaniard once again left a lot to be desired with a handful of loose passes which invited unnecessary pressure. The second half began with a bizarre moment in which he appeared to panic as he reached the edge of his own box and rolled the ball out directly to a Palace forward.

Enzo Maresca has openly admitted he wants Sanchez to try those risky passes, but it feels like Chelsea are approaching a fork in the road. Does Maresca need to adjust his expectations or find a goalkeeper capable of realising his vision?

Acheampong impresses on first Premier League start

After the news of Wesley Fofana’s potentially season-ending injury, many Chelsea fans began calling for Maresca to ditch his faith in Axel Disasi and Tosin Adarabioyo in favour of giving 18-year-old Josh Acheampong his first Premier League start.

Those wishes were Maresca’s command as he gave the nod to the academy graduate, who immediately looked like he has been playing at this level for years. An early pass out to Pedro Neto had fans’ mouths watering, while several long balls up towards Nicolas Jackson brought visible displays of appreciation from the striker. He even had the most touches of anybody on the pitch in the first half, such was the responsibility he demanded.Things won’t always be smooth for Acheampong and mistakes will undoubtedly surface soon, but he made it clear he is ready for a bigger role in this team, and Maresca will definitely have taken notice.

No fancy full-backs

In the build-up to the game, Palace boss Oliver Glasner insisted Chelsea could not surprise him tactically. Maresca seemed to take that personally and abandoned his usual approach of inverting one full-back.

Malo Gusto played as a traditional right-back and Marc Cucurella had the same role on the left, leaving more room in midfield for Cole Palmer. The result, whether intentional or otherwise, was an ocean of space in which Palmer could work his magic. It worked perfectly in the first half but, like the rest of Chelsea’s game plan, weakened as things progressed.We’ve seen occasional tweaks to the full-backs in the past, but whether Maresca will make this a full-time change remains to be seen.

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