Crystal Palace claimed their first point of the Premier League season by fighting back for a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Eberechi Eze’s superb 20-yard strike cancelled out Nicolas Jackson’s first-half effort and ensured the spoils were shared in an entertaining London derby.
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Jackson made it two goals in as many matches when he rounded off a fine Chelsea move midway through the first half, but the Blues could not convert their early dominance into a bigger lead.
They were punished eight minutes after the restart as Eze curled home from distance, getting Oliver Glasner's Eagles off the mark for 2024/25.
Enzo Maresca’s hosts missed the chance to move into the top half and sit 11th in the table with four points, while Palace climb to 16th.
How the match unfolded
Chelsea quickly established control of proceedings, with Cole Palmer curling inches wide of the far post and Noni Madueke – last weekend’s hat-trick hero at Wolverhampton Wanderers – also marginally off target.
Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson then produced a superb reflex save to tip Madueke’s volley from an Enzo Fernandez cross on to the crossbar.
However, Henderson was powerless as the Blues broke through in the 25th minute. A swift counter saw Madueke burst away from Will Hughes and feed Palmer, who delivered a low ball across the face of goal for Jackson to tap into an empty net.
Henderson did come to the visitors’ rescue again early in the second half, pushing away Palmer’s dipping free-kick before stopping a Levi Colwill header.
His interventions proved crucial as Palace equalised in the 53rd minute, with Eze bending a superb 20-yard shot beyond the reach of Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea continued to boss possession as the second half wore on, but Glasner’s side went closer to scoring when Daichi Kamada stung Sanchez’s palms 13 minutes from time.
Jackson was denied by Henderson late on when through on goal at the other end, as the two teams could not be separated.
Blues pegged back
After rotating his squad for the midweek UEFA Europa Conference League playoff trip to Servette, Maresca made just a single change from last weekend’s 6-2 win at Molineux – handing a full debut to former Wolves winger Pedro Neto.
Chelsea looked settled and confident during the first half, with their attacking players linking up and interchanging superbly.
The Blues boast a large squad and the list of attacking options at their disposal is envious. Joao Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk and Christopher Nkunku had to settle for places on the bench, while Deadline Day signing Jadon Sancho watched on from the stands.
They were deserving of their early lead, with Palmer providing his fourth assist of the season already. Only four players in Premier League history have bettered that tally after the opening three matches of a campaign.
But the hosts were made to rue not turning their superiority into even more of an advantage, and Eze’s piece of individual brilliance took the wind out of their sails.
For all the possession they enjoyed for the remainder of the match, Maresca’s side were lacking the energy from their first-half display and could not find a winner.
Palace end Chelsea blues
After a difficult start to the season, the last thing Palace would have wanted was a trip to Chelsea – the side that had condemned them to defeat in 13 successive Premier League meetings before Sunday's match.
The Eagles had only lost each of their opening three matches once in a top-flight season, doing so under Frank de Boer in 2017/18. However, it looked possible that history would repeat itself after they spent much of the first half on the back foot.
Step forward, Eze. The England international chose an ideal moment to score his fifth Premier League goal from outside the box in 2024 – a tally only matched by Manchester City’s Phil Foden.
That equaliser sparked them into life and they carried a decent threat going forward for the remainder of the match.
Ex-Chelsea defender Marc Guehi – remaining with the club despite being heavily linked with a move away from Selhurst Park – and company stood firm at the other end to keep the hosts at bay.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 |
Brentford
BRE
|
11 | 0 | 16 |
| 12 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
11 | 0 | 15 |
| 13 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
11 | 0 | 15 |
| 14 |
West Ham
WHU
|
11 | -6 | 12 |
| 15 |
Leicester
LEI
|
11 | -7 | 10 |
| 16 |
Everton
EVE
|
11 | -7 | 10 |
Club reports
Chelsea report | Crystal Palace report
What the managers said:
Enzo Maresca: "We completely deserved to win the game. We controlled the game.
"Overall, we completely deserved to win the game. Unfortunately we didn't. The performance was very good on and off the ball. After we conceded the goal, we lost our way."
Oliver Glasner: "I think it's overall, it's a deserved point. Yes. First Half, we were two situations. A little bit lucky when they missed a goal with a great goalkeeper today. But you know, we'll need a great goalkeeper here at Stamford Bridge. And with the1-0 was completely deserved. But then we had some one two adaption and players I think second half. Fantastic."
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Key facts
Palmer has provided four assists in Chelsea’s three Premier League matches this season, becoming the first player to provide 4+ assists in a team’s first three matches since Paul Pogba in 2021/22 (5).
Jackson has been involved in eight goals in his last eight Premier League appearances (six goals, two assists), which is as many goal involvements as he managed in his previous 19 matches in the competition.
This is only the third draw in this fixture in the Premier League in what was the 31st meeting between Chelsea and Crystal Palace (Chelsea W24, Palace W4), and the first draw since March 1995 – a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge.
Eze has scored five Premier League goals from outside the box in 2024, the joint-most of any player along with Man City’s Foden. All of Eze’s last three goals in the competition have been from outside the box.