Enzo Maresca could be experiencing a touch of deja vu after his Chelsea side made it four games without a win at Selhurst Park.

Chelsea have looked a shoo-in for a top-four spot for much of this season but now sit just one point ahead of fifth-placed Newcastle, having been four points adrift of leaders Liverpool almost a month ago.

Jean-Philippe Mateta’s 82nd-minute goal earned Palace a point their second-half battling deserved, but Chelsea should have been out of sight before the French striker tapped in Eberechi Eze’s pass, with Nicolas Jackson missing a hat-trick of gilt-edged chances.

Last season, when managing Leicester to the Championship title, Maresca guided them to a 17-point lead before Christmas only to slip out of the automatic places by Easter after five defeats in eight games.

Leicester, with the most expensively assembled lead in Championship history, did bounce back to lift the title by a point from Ipswich and seven clear of third-placed Leeds.

However, Chelsea’s recent slump, which has not seen them win since edging out Brentford 2-1 on December 15, is showing similar traits to Leicester’s last year.

Against Palace, Chelsea had more than 62 per cent of possession and scored after 14 minutes when good work from Jadon Sancho down the left set up Cole Palmer for his 13th league goal of the season.

That was the visitors’ only shot on target, though, compared to six by the hosts but Maresca insists he is not concerned by his side’s run of results. It has also seen them now draw with struggling Everton and lose to Fulham and Ipswich.

The Italian said: “We did enough to win the game. Between the first half and the second half we created chances enough to win but, in football, you need to be clinical, especially in this stadium.

“Every throw-in, corner and chance increases the energy for them but, overall, we did enough to win the game. Three weeks ago we were talking about the title race, but I knew that Newcastle, Aston Villa and City would be there.

“It’s not about the table, it’s about improving things and the first half, for me, was very good on and off the ball. But at this part of the season it is going to happen to any team where you are not going to be able to win games.”

Maresca gave a full debut to 18-year-old Josh Acheampong at centre-back ahead of experienced pair Tosin Adarabioyo and Axel Disasi, who remained on the bench. The academy product did well and was a composed presence alongside Levi Colwill and Maresca said he would have no hesitation in picking him again while Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile are out injured.

“Josh was our best player because of his age and experience and will be a top player for this club. He just needs the right path and today we thought he was ready and he showed how good he was. But he still needs to work hard.”

Maresca also defended Jackson, who has not scored in six games and was hauled off 10 minutes from time for Spanish teenager Marc Guiu.

He said: “The important thing is to take chances and, if you look at the Ipswich game, we had so many chances. Sometimes you create one chance and score, sometimes you create eight and don’t score.

“The important thing for Nico today was that he had two or three clear chances, which means he is there and ready. Next time he hopefully takes them. We took him off because he was tired.”

Palace boss Oliver Glasner was satisfied with the point as his side extended their run of good results to one defeat in nine games.

Glasner said: “I am never happy with a point when you can have three but I think it’s a fair result, especially after the first 30 minutes. Maybe we didn’t deserve to win today”