Chelsea claim sixth Premier League win in a row after beating Crystal Palace 2-0
Chelsea made it six league wins from six and temporarily moved up the second place in the Premier League following a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
Second half goals from Tammy Abraham and Christian Pulisic handed the Blues victory in a match where their London rivals set up to frustrate from the start.
However, Frank Lampard’s side eventually saw their patience rewarded.
After that sensational match against Ajax in the Champions League in midweek it was a far more sedate affair in the first half.
Chelsea dominated the early exchanges but a resolute Palace defence managed to repel any meaningful opportunities the blues tried to create.
The first proper sight of goal came when the in-form Christian Pulisic latched onto the pass of Willian slaloming into the box and leaving Joel Ward on the deck with fantastic bit of skill. Unfortunately he found himself too close to Vicente Guaita and the Palace keeper was able to stop the resulting shot.
As Chelsea continued to pressure the visitors the tackles started to fly and the Blues won a number of free kicks in dangerous areas. Brazilians Willian and Emerson boith came agonisingly close with their efforts before Mason Mount only managed to hit the defensive wall when he stepped up.
A rare Palace foray forward resulted in them winning a free kick of their own on the left hand side of the penalty area. After the goal he conceded in midweek, Kepa may have been concerned about being caught out in similar fashion so would have been happy when Luka Milivojevic’s whipped effort ended up sailing harmlessly wide of his left hand post.
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Chelsea had a great chance to go in ahead at the break but Willian’s close range effort was blocked superbly by former Blue Gary Cahill in the last action of the half.
However, they weren’t to be frustrated for too much longer as Abraham bagged his 11th goal of the season to put the Blues 1-0 up on 52 minutes.
A deft flick by Willian following an incisive Mateo Kovacic pass found the striker who beat the offside trap before slotting calmly beyond Guaita.
Pulisic almost doubled the lead within five minutes but his fantastic drive and a brilliant run was pushed away from the top corner by a strong Guaita palm.
Abraham then fired over from a tight angle as Chelsea looked to further press home their dominance over their London rivals.
Palace offered little going forward but almost scored an unlikely equaliser when another Milivojevic free kick found the head of James Tomkins but the defender seemed to react late and could only put his effort wide on the upright.
Chelsea eventually got their well-deserved second goal with a little over ten minutes on the clock as Pulisic netted his fifth goal in three Premier League outings to make the game safe.
Picking up the ball on the edge of the penalty area, the American fed substitute Michy Batshuayi, continuing his run into the box to head past Guaita after the Belgian’s attempted shot was blocked.
After a slow start, Pulisic’s recent run of form suggests he seems to have found his feet in England and justifying the £58 million outlay for his services.
Chelsea then saw out the victory with a win that lifts them above Manchester City and just five points behind leaders Liverpool ahead the huge clash between the two at Anfield.
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