Chelsea continued their strong Premier League form with a 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace, extending their unbeaten head to head run against the Eagles to 18 matches and deepening the hosts recent struggles.
Crystal Palace began brightly, with Jean Philippe Mateta forcing an early save from Robert Sanchez after linking up with Ismaila Sarr to win possession high up the pitch. Chelsea responded through Enzo Fernandez, who fired over from close range after Marc Cucurellas cross caused uncertainty in the Palace defence. Moises Caicedo also went close but dragged his effort wide after the ball sat up invitingly inside the area.
Palace threatened from a long throw when Reece James headed into a dangerous area, allowing Sarr a sight of goal, but his effort drifted wide. The breakthrough arrived in the 34th minute when a misplaced pass from Jaydee Canvot was intercepted by Estevao, who surged clear and finished confidently past Dean Henderson. The hosts attempted to respond before the interval, but Estevao again caused problems and narrowly missed the target after racing through on goal.
Chelsea doubled their advantage shortly after the restart. Estevao clipped a precise pass into the path of Joao Pedro, who cut inside Adam Wharton and drove a low shot through Henderson. The visitors remained on top, with Henderson required to save efforts from Estevao and Cucurella. Palace conceded a penalty when Canvot handled Pedro’s shot following a dangerous cross from James, and Fernandez converted from the spot.
Palace’s task became more difficult when Wharton was sent off after receiving two yellow cards in quick succession for challenges on Caicedo. Chelsea controlled the closing stages, although Sanchez denied Jefferson Lerma late on before Chris Richards scored from close range to reduce the deficit.
Chelsea saw out nine minutes of added time to secure the points and move up to fourth in the Premier League table. The result marked a second successive league win under head coach Liam Rosenior and extended Crystal Palace’s winless run to 11 matches in all competitions.
