Crystal Palace 2-3 Chelsea: 5 Talking Points as Blues record nervy victory | EPL 2019-20
Chelsea beat Crystal Palace 3-2 at Selhurst Park in one of the most nail-biting fixtures of this EPL season that went right down to the final minute of the game.
Goals from Olivier Giroud, Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham helped their cause, while Wilfried Zaha and Christian Benteke scored goals for the Eagles.
It was all in control for the Blues early on after the first couple of goals, but Palace threatened time and time again intermittently. The second-half was as nervous as it could get, especially in the final few minutes when the frame of goal rescued Chelsea before Kurt Zouma threw his body in the final minute to deny Benteke.
Nevertheless, Chelsea claimed all three points and moved to third place, leaving it to Leicester City ahead of their game against Arsenal.
On that note, we analyse the major talking points from Chelsea's 3-2 win over Crystal Palace.
#1 Chelsea's sharpness rocks Palace early on
Right from the outset, Chelsea were running at the hosts and playing with a lot of confidence. They had the lion's share of possession, with young Billy Gilmour initiating attacks and comfortably ticking the ball over.
It was the midfield that sparked life into Chelsea's attacking play, as the likes of Mason Mount and Ross Barkley won fouls, exhibited impeccable footwork and drifted into pockets in between the Crystal Palace midfielders.
Many would call it fortuitous, but a Gary Cahill injury during the build-up completely opened Palace up, before Willian pulled the ball back for Olivier Giroud to continue his rich scoring run.
Up until the 20th minute or so, Chelsea's in-form winger Pulisic was having an off day, before he decided to switch to the left with Willian occupying his favoured right-hand side. The duo worked together again to double the Blues' lead.
It was the case of one of them creating space through their trickery and pace, and the other chipping in with the finish. And Pulisic, with the form he's in at present, just could not miss.
#2 Roy Hodgson's change in tactics stuns Chelsea
One would expect Roy Hodgson to field a four-man defence with no fewer than five midfielders up front.
That is often the shape that Crystal Palace play with, demanding the extra work from the midfield three and full-backs. Today was a bit different, as they went for the traditional 4-3-3.
It did leave them open at times as the scoreline suggests, but the configuration certainly allowed Zaha and the Eagles top scorer Jordan Ayew to move a start metres ahead on average.
Another key factor was Zaha's position in the setup. He occupied the right more often, because Hodgson knew he'll fare better against a naturally slower Cesar Azpilicueta than someone such as Reece James. More so, coming off the right provided a crossing option that did expose Chelsea's susceptibility while defending the aerial passages of play.
#3 Kepa under the scanner again as Zaha scores
As aforementioned, the change in structure meant that Palace could return to their gritty style of play characterised by fierce physicality, crossing and overlapping of full-backs.
Just when it looked like Chelsea would see off the game with a goal or two more, Reece James' misplaced pass fell to former Blue Patrick Van Aanholt, who took no time to find the centrally-placed winger.
Zaha picked the ball up against the run of play, before unleashing an absolute rocket of a strike beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga.
It was a scorcher from distance and it could not have been hit any sweeter, but Kepa's positioning and shot-stopping attempt was highly questionable. Somehow, the Spaniard got to the ball but could not measure its swerve or pace.
It's not the first time Kepa has been subject to scrutiny, as he currently owns the worst save percentage by any keeper across the division.
There's a visible lack of confidence, which is also seen from his passing. Maybe, Lampard will have to sit down with Kepa to remind him of last season's heroics in order to help him rediscover his form.
Also read: 5 Goalkeepers who could replace Kepa Arrizabalaga at Chelsea
#4 Crystal Palace physicality undoes Chelsea's rhythm
Until Abraham's goal, it was all Crystal Palace. They were passing around Chelsea, playing at a high tempo and with precision.
There was another dimension to their game, owing to the strength and superior levels of physicality. They won every single 50-50 duel on the pitch, creating a lot of unrest among the Chelsea backline.
The likes of Kouyate and Milivojevic managed to orchestrate the play, winning the ball in key positions and then freeing up Zaha and Ayew to enter into one-versus-one situations.
The constant pressure and desire to win the ball back and press Chelsea down worked as within a flash, Van Aanholt was down the byline ahead of Andreas Christensen to lay it on a plate for Christian Benteke.
#5 Lampard's substitutions do the trick again
They were in the lead, but Lampard had seen enough from the pressure and nervousness. He decided to bring on Abraham, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jorginho, and all three made a difference for Chelsea.
Before getting into what proved to be the decisive goal, one must credit Jorginho for injecting a sense of calm within the ranks once he came on. A couple of gorgeous switches down the flank, one interception and two blocks reminded us of his pre-restart form, with the Blues ultimately regaining lost possession.
As for Loftus-Cheek, his driving run and cheeky pass to Abraham's path at the right moment was a fantastic piece of play. The latter made no mistake in slotting past Vicente Guaita.
Tensions were extremely high at the end of the game, as a last-ditch tackle from Kurt Zouma was as good as a winner. Undoubtedly, it saved two points for Chelsea.
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