Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea: Jean-Philippe Mateta earns point as winless run continues for Blues
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Chelsea’s winless run was extended to four matches as Jean-Philippe Mateta earned Crystal Palace a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park. It had been a confident start to this London derby from Chelsea, who were dominant early on and got their reward when Cole Palmer rolled a finish into the far corner after brilliant work out wide from Jadon Sancho.
Palmer could have had his second, had Pedro Neto’s cut-back been a better one, while Nicolas Jackson and Josh Acheampong, handed a first Premier League, failed to hit the target with big chances. Those missed opportunities felt increasingly important as Palace’s threat grew in the second-half and so it proved.
Palmer was caught on the ball and the hosts took full advantage, finding Eberechi Eze and he rolled the ball across the face of goal for Mateta to turn in with ten minutes remaining. Maresca made six changes from Chelsea's Ipswich defeat, while Palace captain Marc Guehi was back in Oliver Glasner's line-up after serving a one-game suspension.
Chelsea ventured deep in Palace territory early, Sancho volleying over from a cross, while a big tackle by Chris Richards broke up the run of Nicolas Jackson. But the American defender found himself in trouble soon after, outsmarted by Sancho, who drove down the left and cut in, slipping the ball to Palmer, who slotted through the legs of Guehi for the 14th-minute opener.
Chelsea nearly scored again soon after, but Jackson's volleyed attempt from a flicked-on free kick was well wide. What few spells Palace did enjoy in Chelsea's final third by the halfway point in the period were stubbornly thwarted, and they were lucky when Pedro Neto could not connect with Palmer's outstretched foot after deftly working his way to the edge of the the six-yard box.
