DashJ

That’s all from me. Thanks for reading and for your emails and tweets. I’m off for a mince pie and a cuppa. Here’s the match report from Stamford Bridge once again. Cheers!

It’s also full-time at Goodison Park. City roar back from a goal down to win 3-1.

Also … Wolves remain level on points with Chelsea with a fantastic win in west London.

I was sent this email earlier, from Kevin Wilson.

“Slightly off-topic from the Chelsea game, but might their fellow West Londoners start to look over their shoulder? Brentford weathered Toney’s absence but Mbeumo’s injury has hit them massively. With the three promoted clubs hitting some better form, there might be a few jitters starting amongst the Brentford supporters, players and manager?”

In short, yes.

Match report: Chelsea 2-1 Crystal Palace

Roy Hodgson is the next to speak. I should say that he is rather prickly mood, and perturbed by the line of questioning by the Amazon Prime reporter.

I am very happy with the performance. Second half, we took the game to Chelsea. It’s unfair to say that they carved us apart. I thought that we were very unfortunate to lose by a penalty that was given by the second referee. You are trying to hurt me with a statistic but being near the bottom with 19 games to go. If we had drawn 1-1 at Chelsea, you would not be interviewing me in the same way. And a controversial penalty has decided the result.

I should add that Hodgson confronted referee Michael Salisbury after the game, presumably protesting against the VAR penalty decision.

Pochettino speaks to the cameras.

Of course we are going to talk about if we need [another player in the transfer market]. But I am not worried about that. We need to work with the players.

Palace are a good team. We started by showing a bit nervous. The players were thinking too much. Always slow passes. We gave Palace the positivity to press. We connected very well in transition and scored. But this is normal for a team that is suffering.

Nkunku is not fit and still very far off his best. We are missing this playmaker. Nkunku can do this, but he is more of a player that is already forward. The combination between Jackson and Mudryk was good, every time they connected, something happened.

We are Chelsea. The project is to win. We have young players, but they need to learn that we need to fight. And then after we can play. Show me that I can trust you.

I want to win all the games. We are a little bit far [from the top] but we need to keep believing. Maybe this type of game was not that great, but is important that we need to step up our mentality.

It is worth noting that Palace had more shots and more shots on target in this game.

Noni Madueke, Chelsea’s matchwinner, speaks to the TV cameras.

It was a difficult game. The crowd were great, they got us through it. It was a stonewall pen. I was trying to stay on the ground for as long as possible. I’m confident with pens, with my technique.

[Converting chances] has been a bit of an achilles heel for us. I’m working to help the team as much as I can. The manager is the boss, he picks the team. I just want to make an impact off the bench and hopefully that opens up more opportunities in the future.

That game could have gone either way. Chelsea probably did have the better of it, in truth. They earn just their sixth home league win of 2023, an astonishing fact, to move into the top half.

Palace are now just three points clear of 18th-placed Luton Town, who have a game in hand over the Londonders.

Here’s the live table. Remember that this is liable to change, with Everton v Manchester City still ongoing.

Roy Hodgson looks furious as he stomps off the pitch, then instantly changes his demeanor as he runs into Ben Chilwell. Very much the opposite of this meme.

Full-time: Chelsea 2-1 Crystal Palace

That’s that.

90+8 min: Gallagher wins one tackle, then another, and drives down towards the corner flag, intent on winning a Chelsea set piece. He does just that, and gets an almighty roar from the home fans.

90+6 min: For reasons that I’ve missed, both Gallagher and Pochettino are booked. Not exactly helping themselves here.

Palace push forward but Thiago Silva beats Franca to the ball. One Brazilian on another, one 20 years his senior.

90+4 min: Here come Palace. Eze and Olise, the two matchwinners, combine nicely with the latter getting a shot off. It’s an easy save for Petrovic. But there are signs of life for the visitors.

90+2 min: Chelsea also make a change. Alfie Gilchrist, the club’s under-21 captain comes on to make his first-team debut! He replaces Badiashile.

90 min: Eight minutes added on. There’s still time for Palace, who make an attacking change. Remember what I said about Hodgson being a reactive manager? Hmmm. Anyway, França comes on for Lerma.

GOAL! Chelsea 2-1 Crystal Palace (Madueke 89 pen)

Odd that Madueke would take it, having not scored since a League Cup tie in August, but the English winger rolls the ball calmly to Henderson’s right, after a stuttering run up. Chelsea have a precious lead!

PENALTY TO CHELSEA!

Michael Salisbury has given the spot kick, after consulting the screen.

85 min: Penalty shout for Chelsea! Madueke goes down under the challenge of Eze. The referee waves play on, and suddenly Palace have four on one but an outstanding tackle from Gusto on Eze halts the Palace counter-attack. Gusto is playing out of his skin. The ball goes out of play, and VAR are going to check the initial challenge on Madueke. The referee is going to the monitor …

83 min: Things hotting up a bit now. Chelsea come roaring back and Broja nearly scores one of the goals of the season! Thiago Silva plays a long raking pass over the top. Broja takes it in his stride, controlling the ball beautifully over his shoulder, but can’t drag his left foot shot on target. That was almost Luis Suárez-esque!

81 min: Chance for Olise! Thiago Silva slips and Schlupp pounces, sprinting down the left wing. He cuts in, and feeds Olise inside the box. Olise feints right but Gusto reads him and gets a great block in to deny the Palace man. Olise collects the rebound but his second shot is well saved by Petrovic.

79 min: Frustration for Chelsea, who really haven’t looked like scoring in this second half. Palace make a change, with Ayew coming off for Schlupp.

GOAL! NO, DISALLOWED!

77 min: Thiago Silva hits a deflected cross into the box, the ball falls kindly to Jackson, who stabs home from 10 yards. It was a great improvised finish with a toe poke, and Jackson looks visibly relieved after his miss a couple of minutes earlier. But wait, VAR are checking and Jackson is ruled offside. The guy just can’t catch a break!

74 min: A massive chance for Jackson and Chelsea … missed! Caicedo finds Gallagher, who plays a wonderful ball to Jackson. He’s through on goal with time to finish … Henderson rushes out … and Jackson dinks his finish wide! Palace breathe a huge sigh of relief. Jackson, not the ball ends up in a heap in the net. Chelsea fans are bereft.

73 min: A funny moment as Richards drags back Madueke to earn a yellow card. Referee Michael Salisbury initially pulls out the red card (!) but puts it back in his pocket with a smile. He meant to pull out the yellow, and now does so.

72 min: A stoppage in play after Clyne leaves one on Mudryk in what was a strong but fair tackle. Chelsea fans are unhappy at Palace playing on, but with Mudryk off the field and it not being a head injury, they are entirely entitled to do so. Chelsea make two changes: Madueke and Broja on for Nkunku and the injured Mudryk.

70 min: Palace are growing into this game. Increasingly the dominant team in possession with Chelsea happy to break on the counter attack.

68 min: “Does anyone have the number on how many times Poch has subbed off a centre back this season?” asks Sean Orlowicz. “I’ve never seen it done by a team so often and feel like it says a lot about how deep the problems with this Chelsea side go.”

I agree that constantly replacing the spine of the team is not a classic recipe for success. Chelsea do have some versatile centre backs in Colwill and Disasi, plus they’ve had loads of injuries, so maybe we shouldn’t be too surprised.

66 min: A nervy start for Lavia, who succeeds in passing it backwards and sideways but misplaces his first forward pass. Lavia then upends Olise. That should surely be a yellow card. Reader, it is not.

64 min: Gusto has switched to left back, to replace Colwill. Disasi is now at right back, where Gusto was.

I should also mention that there’s been a goal at Goodison Park. Spoiler alert, the newly-crowned world champions are behind.

62 min: Perhaps it’s the subs, but the game has become bitty and scrappy. Neither side look like scoring at present.

60 min: Thiago Silva, 39, is now 13 years older than any other Chelsea player on the pitch (Nkunku is 26).

58 min: Two subs for Chelsea: Romeo Lavia comes on to make his Chelsea debut! The £58m signing and Thiago Silva are on for Levi Colwill and Ian Maatsen. That means Gallagher will move forward into an advanced midfield position.

55 min: Mateta runs up the line, holding off a retreating Badiashile, and stings the palms of Petrovic with a fierce strike to the near post. Palace earn their 79th (and subsequently their 80th) corner of the season but fail to score. They are the only team in the Premier League not to score from a corner this season.

53 min: The cameras pan to Palace’s bench, and a lovely view of Ray Lewington’s legs. The Palace assistant is a fan of shorts, in case you didn’t know, and also used to play for Chelsea, in the 70s.

51 min: Olise sets off on one of those slalom runs, where he looks like he’s jogging past players. It’s only when you see the other players scampering that you realise how fast Olise is travelling. Caicedo brings a halt to Olise’s run with a cynical foul. Yellow card for the Ecuadorian.

49 min: A very similar start to the first half. Palace have a bit of control but haven’t troubled Petrovic’s goal. Chelsea are growing back into the game.

47 min: No changes for either side, although both sides have players down in the opening moments of the second half. Gusto, the player of the first half, is down clutching his ankle while Andersen has hurt his back/bottom. The Dane fell on it awkwardly, but both Gusto and Andersen are OK to continue.

Peeeeeeep! We’re off again at Stamford Bridge.

Looking back at the replays, that was terrible defending from Caicedo for the Palace goal. He was marking Olise and completely let his marker go. Olise had time to take a touch from the cross, before finishing.

Half-time reading:

I should say that there was an absolutely crunching tackle by Richards in midfield to win the ball back for Palace. It led directly to the equaliser. Think Dier on Ramos. A tackle that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. Whack.

Half-time: Chelsea 1-1 Crystal Palace

A score that sort of sums up Chelsea’s season.

45+2 min: What a player Olise is. Absolutely hypnotic to watch and makes the right decisions in key moments. His cross for Ayew’s goal against Brighton was also so classy.

GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Crystal Palace (Olise 45+1)

Out of nothing, Palace are level! The visitors apply some late pressure in the half and Ayew has room to float a cross in. Colwill misses his header, Caidedo loses his marker and Olise is free at the back post! The Frenchman controls is beautifully on his chest for his first touch, and lashes a shot past Petrovic with his second. Clinical finish!

45 min: Two minutes added on here.

44 min: Chelsea fans are keen to get on Jackson’s back. The Senegalese has had a really good half but has been ponderous in the last few mins. He is lacking in confidence and the jeers definitely do not help.

42 min: Patient and incisive play from Chelsea as Nkunku and Gallagher cut through tight defensive Palace spaces. Mudryk tries a shot but it’s well blocked. Palace can’t get out at the moment.

40 min: Gallagher is increasingly the dominant force in midfield. Twice he wins the ball back to get Chelsea moving forward. His energy is sometimes irrepressible.

38 min: A great stat from the Amazon Prime commentary team: Roy Hodgson won his first title as a manager in 1976.

Palace are not out of this. They have had around 33% possession but if they can get to half-time just one down, things can change in the second half. Chelsea have looked good but they are a fragile entity.

36 min: Another email, this time from Justin Madson.

“Another interpretation of the penalty shout: Nkunku hits Richards’ knee on his wind up when Richards comes in late. Replays show clear contact, not enough for a penalty according to VAR, but please do not describe that as a dive. There was contact.”

I agree, it’s a grey area. But ultimately there isn’t enough to send him toppling. There’s enough contact to put him off his shot, but that on its own isn’t enough for a foul. There was a very similar incident in the Palace v Brighton game, where Brighton were denied a similar penalty shout.

34 min: Just to remind you that Everton v Manchester City is yet to kick off (8.15pm) but you can follow that here.

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