Chelsea kicked off their Premier League title defence with frustration on Sunday as they have been held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
Softfootball stories that regardless of having fun with the lion’s share of possession, the Blues couldn’t discover a means by way of a cussed Eagles defence, stretching their unbeaten run in opposition to Palace to 17 matches since 2017.
The London derby had promised targets, particularly after each groups lifted trophies over the summer time, however in the long run it delivered extra grit than glamour. Chelsea, winners of the FIFA Membership World Cup, managed a lot of the play however lacked a innovative. Palace, recent from their FA Cup triumph and Neighborhood Protect victory over Liverpool, defended with self-discipline and confirmed sufficient on the break to maintain Mauricio Pochettino’s facet trustworthy.
The guests thought that they had made the breakthrough when Eberechi Eze rifled dwelling an excellent free kick early on. Nevertheless, VAR intervened, ruling that captain Marc Guéhi had encroached on the Chelsea wall. The choice sparked instant controversy, and the Premier League Match Centre, chargeable for explaining necessary refereeing and VAR selections, needed to intervene and clarify why the purpose was chalked off.
They posted through their official X deal with:
“#CHECRY – 13’ VAR OVERTURN After VAR evaluation, the referee overturned the unique determination of purpose to Crystal Palace. Referee announcement: “After evaluation, away quantity six is lower than one metre away from the wall because the shot is taken. Subsequently, it’s an oblique free kick and a disallowed purpose.”
From there, the primary half settled right into a tense battle, with Trevoh Chalobah’s wayward effort the closest Chelsea got here earlier than the interval.
Stamford Bridge got here alive simply after the hour when teenage sensation Estêvão was launched for his debut. The Brazilian instantly lifted the tempo, drawing roars from the house crowd, however Palace held agency. Late probabilities fell to substitutes Liam Delap and Andrey Santos, but Dean Henderson and his again line refused to be breached.
The English Premier League posted the end result through their official X deal with:
The end result means Chelsea and Palace have now drawn their opening league fixture for a 3rd straight season, following 1-1 attracts in 2023 and 2024. Palace followers, nevertheless, will take coronary heart, as that is the fourth time in 5 years they’ve averted defeat of their first league outing. With a Convention League play-off in opposition to Fredrikstad FK looming on Thursday, their season is already shaping as much as be one other intriguing journey. Chelsea, alternatively, is aware of they need to rediscover their ruthlessness shortly in the event that they need to be critical title contenders.
