Crystal Palace grabbed a late point with a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Selhurst Park as the Blues’ winless run continued into 2025.
It was Jean-Philippe Mateta who hit back for Palace in the 82nd minute after Chelsea had looked set to win through Cole Palmer’s early goal.
Mateta’s goal further exacerbated Chelsea’s festive slump as their winless streak extended to four games and their bold title hopes fizzled further.
With weather warnings promising near-freezing temperatures, it was no surprise when an icy Palmer slotted the ball past Dean Henderson to open the scoring (14). While the finish was impressive, it was Jadon Sancho’s assist that stole the show as he beat Chris Richards with great skill before finding Palmer with a cross in the box.
The early exchanges belonged entirely to the visitors with Chelsea’s wings enjoying a large amount of the ball while bothering Tyrick Mitchell and Daniel Munoz. The first chance fell to Chelsea in a move that set the tone for the rest of the season when Pedro Neto crossed the ball into the area looking for Sancho who volleyed home a first-time effort in the third minute.
Palace grew into the contest after Chelsea’s goal, spurred on by the Selhurst faithful, increasing their own efforts, and Mateta saw his chance slip away after being set up by Munoz.
But the first half belonged to Enzo Maresca’s side who had several chances with Nicolas Jackson firing into the box before 18-year-old Premier League debutant Josh Acheampong nodded home.
Palace came out the better of the two sides after half-time, with Eberechi Eze spurning a great chance just moments after the restart. Palace continued to fight for the equalizer with Roberto Sanchez making an impressive stop to keep out Richards.
Chelsea felt they should have been awarded a penalty when Mitchell lunged at Neto, but after a brief VAR check, the challenge was ruled out. Palace’s efforts were eventually rewarded with a point that moved them six points clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea, denied the chance to leapfrog Crystal Palace, remain in fourth place.
More to come…
The story of the match in statistics…
What’s up in the Premier League?
