Chelsea's winless run extended to four matches, as they deservedly held to a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Cole Palmer's early goal seemed to end Chelsea's misfortunes, but their familiar problems emerged after the second half as Palace moved up. Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a late goal as Chelsea tightened its grip on fourth place in the league Premier League Ranking down to just one point.
How the game unfolded
Jadon Sancho He sent a powerful shot that bounced over the crossbar in the early stages, but after being denied a goal, he chose to provide the assist. An excellent individual start ended with a pass to Palmer, who took his time and passed the ball behind Dean Henderson to open the scoring in the 14th minute.
Chelsea perhaps should have doubled their lead just a few minutes later when Nicholas Jackson crashed into the back post following a free-kick.
Feeling the need to raise their level, Palace duly responded and began to offer some attacking threat, but they were almost punished when Pedro Neto got in behind and sent a low cross towards Palmer, who simply could not stretch far enough to capitalize on the ball. house.
Mateta was dragged wide castle He looked for a response, while at the other end, Palmer's excellent pass put Jackson through on goal and he fired another shot around Henderson's post.
The second half started at a fast pace and Ebere Eze wasted his chance to level the score just minutes into the second half, unable to clear Daniel Munoz's excellent pass past Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea had moments in attack but Palace routinely blocked them as time went on, and the hosts' increasing pressure was finally evident when Mateta scored from close range from a cross from Eze in the 82nd minute.
This was the least Palace deserved from a lively display in the second half that ended the match with six shots on goal compared to one for Chelsea.
After he was dropped to the bench 2-0 defeat to Ipswich TownRobert Sanchez returned to the starting lineup here, and put in another mixed performance.
Sanchez continues to prove his relative reliability with his hands, but with his feet, the Spaniard once again left a lot to be desired with an array of loose passes that invited unnecessary pressure. The second half began with a bizarre moment in which he appeared to panic as he reached the edge of his own penalty area and passed the ball straight to the Palace striker.
Enzo Maresca has publicly admitted that he wants Sanchez to try those risky passes, but it seems that way Chelsea They approach a crossroads. Does Maresca need to adjust his expectations or find a goalkeeper capable of realizing his vision?
After news Possible season-ending injury to Wesley FofanaMany Chelsea fans have begun calling on Maresca to abandon his faith in Axel Disasi and Tosin Adarabioyo in favor of giving 18-year-old Josh Acheampong his first Premier League start.
Those were Maresca's command as he gave his nod to the academy graduate, who immediately looked like he had been playing at this level for years. An early pass to Pedro Neto stunned the crowd, while several long balls towards Nicholas Jackson brought clear displays of appreciation for the striker. He even had the most touches on the pitch in the first half, and that was the responsibility he demanded.
Things won't always be smooth sailing for Acheampong and mistakes will undoubtedly emerge soon, but he has made it clear that he is ready to take on a bigger role in this team, and Maresca has certainly taken notice.
In the run-up to the match, Palace coach Oliver Glasner insisted that Chelsea could not surprise him tactically. Maresca seemed to take that personally and abandoned his usual style of playing at one full-back.
Malo Giusto played as a traditional right-back and Mark Cucurella had the same role on the left, leaving more space in midfield for Cole Palmer. The result, whether intended or not, was an ocean of space in which Palmer could work his magic. Things went perfectly in the first half, but, like the rest of Chelsea's game plan, it weakened as things progressed.
We've seen occasional tweaks to full-backs in the past, but it remains to be seen whether Maresca will make this change full-time or not.
Chelsea's wingers dominated the early stages, pinning Palace at the back and making light work of the Eagles' backline before the half-time whistle.
Over time, the narrative began to change. Left-back Tyreke Mitchell enjoyed his battle with Pedro Neto and could argue he won the duel in the second half, while at the other end, Daniel Munoz turned into an absolute beast in attack.
The duo asked questions about Chelsea, with Munoz's direct starts proving particularly difficult. The Colombia international will be frustrated that he didn't get at least one assist.
A common criticism of Marisca's Chelsea is their habit of losing control of matches as they progress. You just have to look back 2-1 defeat to Fulham For the latest evidence.
In this match, Chelsea were comfortably in second place once the second half started. Palace pushed and pushed and pushed, and while Chelsea had their moments in attack, they were by no means the better side, and their constant state of panic eventually led to Mateta leveling things up late on.
Mariska urgently needs to know why this is. Physical fitness does not appear to be the issue, which could mean the Blues' staff face the more difficult task of addressing mental deficiencies.
