This article is part of our Match of the Week series.
The latest installment of the London Derby between Crystal Palace and Chelsea was an end-to-end match that went down to the wire, with the Blues capturing all three points. Chelsea completed the double over The Eagles with the win, and haven't dropped a point to Palace since October 2017. The results boosted the Blues back up to 10th place while Palace fell closer to the relegation zone, dropping to 15th.
Starting XIs
The two sides matched each other with a 4-2-3-1, a standard formation for Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea though a new look for Palace, who used it for the first time since early December.
Chelsea didn't make many changes from their FA Cup win over Aston Villa. The main difference came in the backline, with Benoit Badiashile surrendering his spot to Thiago Silva after picking up a groin injury in the FA Cup. It wasn't all bad news though, as Trevoh Chalobah and Levi Colwill returned from injury.
Crystal Palace made more changes to their starting XI following an embarrassing loss to Brighton. The first was a forced change to the defense: Chris Richards moved to center back for the injured Marc Guehi. Adam Wharton took over Richards' spot in the midfield, earning his first start in the Premier League after his transfer from Blackburn. Matheus Franca also earned his first start in England's top division, replacing Jeffery Schlupp, who has fallen to a bench role. Joel Ward also recovered from a leg injury, going unused on the bench.
Match Notes
Chelsea went with a possession-based plan to start the contest, holding the ball between their central defenders at half field and slowing the match down. When attacking, most of their chances started from the wing-backs. Malo Gusto and Ben Chilwell consistently created passes into the box, combining for 16 crosses, 14 passes into the final third and two chances created.
Crystal Palace clearly had different intentions. Roy Hodgson had his team set up deeper, dropping almost all but one player to the defense without the ball. This would create a strong block in midfield, making any passes through the center difficult for Chelsea, forcing them to play outside. Palace still tried to put pressure on the Chelsea ball carriers when possible, forcing some awkward passes and dispossessions.
Palace took advantage of Chelsea's high line, playing long balls over the top on the counterattack to try and catch Chelsea out. The Palace front three did get some chances, leading to three shots on goal in the first half, and a goal. They also looked to attack Thiago Silva, with the defender's age and pace clearly the weak point in the Chelsea defense.
Jefferson Lerma would end up being the hero of the first half, going completely against the run of play to score a world-class goal from outside the box in the 30th minute. This the dream start for Palace despite being held to only 21 percent of possession and completing only 80 passes compared to Chelsea's 79 percent and 420. Palace's pace and willingness to start a counterattack from anywhere was the difference in the first half, with most of Chelsea's team being caught out of position repeatedly.
The second half started with more action than the first, as Conor Gallagher found the back of the net two minutes into the half after hitting a beautiful volley near the penalty spot.
Chelsea still controlled the ball in the second half but clearly were attempting more incisive passes into the final third. The big difference came from how they used that possession, taking risks and trying through balls over the top instead of playing everything on the ground. They still prioritized attacking down the flanks, not playing too many balls into the middle of the pitch. However, the game opened up as both sides looked for a winning goal following Gallagher's strike.
Palace came out for the second half with the goal of preserving their lead, sitting back instead of pressing. This changed quickly, as about 10 minutes after the equalizer, they shifted back to their starting tactics, pressing on heavy touches and counterattacking.
The game settled into a stalemate for a large portion of the second half, with both sides finding occasional half chances at best. Chelsea took the front foot from the 60th minute on, picking up the tempo and forcing Palace out of position. This would prove useful for Chelsea, as they found Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling on multiple runs through in the final ten minutes of the match, finally leading to the breakthrough in stoppage time.
First, Gallagher found the net to complete his brace in the 91st minute off a Palmer attack down the right flank. Another would come soon after, with Palmer earning another assist after Enzo Fernandez sat down a Crystal Palace defender in the box and deposited the ball into the top corner to ice the game.
Chelsea's control of the ball and fresher legs near the end of the match were too much for Palace to handle. Hodgson appeared to have the right tactical plan to begin the match, but the fitness required came up just short. With both of his main playmakers on the sidelines, Hodgson was forced into a more defensive tactic. If he were to have the likes of Eberechi Eze or Michael Olise pushing the ball forward more, this could have been totally different, with Palace registering zero big chances over the full 90 minutes.
Pochettino's change to allow more movement forward and taking more chances after tiring out the Palace defense due to the high possession proved critical. Despite taking criticism due to Chelsea's dreadful start, he is still a brilliant manager and among the best in the game, understanding the changes he needed to make to pull out the win.
The stat line favored Palace slightly at the break, but in the end, it was easy to see who dominated the match. Chelsea controlled 77 percent of possession, completing almost 600 passes more than the Eagles. The attacking stats also favored the Blues, with 14 total shots, 1.21 xG and one big chance, in contrast to Places 13, 0.55 and zero, respectively.
Man of the Match
Gallagher is the only option, scoring the equalizer and winner. These were his first two goals of the season and his first Premier League brace. Gallagher was more than his goal as well, he took 72 touches created three chances while taking four touches in the opposing box to go along with 38-of-44 passes completed. His clinical nature in front of the goal was clearly crucial, as he converted 0.33 xG into a brace.
Upcoming Fixtures
Looking ahead, Chelsea travels to second-place Manchester City for the toughest match on the calendar. They will then taking on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final and Leeds in the fifth round of the FA Cup. The beginning of March starts with Premier League games against Brentford and Newcastle.
Crystal Palace's upcoming schedule is much kinder, closing February against Everton and Burnley. March looks to be tougher as they take on Tottenham, Luton Town and Newcastle where anything more than three points could be huge.
Looking Ahead
The two teams have very different goals to end the season despite both underwhelming starts.
Chelsea will look to salvage something from this campaign after a second terrible season with Todd Boehly leading the club. They hope to possibly push for European football, even though that seems out of reach, and will attempt to get their young team gelling to build on for the 2024/25 campaign.
Crystal Palace, on the other hand, will hope to stay out of the relegation battle, now only five points off the drop. Manager Roy Hodgson also seems to be on the hot seat, trying to save his job after their woeful recent results.
Regular starter Marc Guehi is expected to return next week against Everton, which will be a huge boost to the squad. They also await the returns of Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, who both are struggling with serious hamstring issues.
Gameweek 25 Preview
Looking forward to next week, I'll be staying with the Eagles as they fight to stay in the top flight of English football. They will face the 18th-placed Everton, with just five points separating the two sides ahead of a classic relegation six-pointer.
