Chelsea extended their recent run of disappointing results by drawing 1-1 against hosts Crystal Palace on Saturday evening at Selhurst Park in the 20th round of the English Premier League.
Chelsea took the lead in the 14th minute with a goal from Cole Palmer, but Crystal Palace equalized in the 82nd minute through Jean-Philippe Mateta.
With this result, Chelsea moved to 36 points, remaining in fourth place, while Crystal Palace improved to 21 points, sitting in 15th place.
Chelsea’s first chance came in the third minute when Neto delivered a cross from the right, and Sancho attempted a direct volley from inside the area, but it sailed over the bar.
The Blues took the lead in the 14th minute, as Sancho dribbled past defenders on the left before delivering a brilliant pass to Palmer inside the area, who calmly slotted the ball into the net.
Chelsea had another opportunity to double their lead in the 20th minute when Palmer swung in a free-kick cross, which Neto met with a header to Jackson. Jackson then attempted a volley, but the ball went just wide of the post.
In the 29th minute, Chelsea posed another threat when Josh Acheampong leapt to meet a corner, heading the ball just wide of the post.
They came close again in the 38th minute when Palmer played a perfect pass to Jackson, who set up Maxence Lecroix in the box. Lecroix’s shot, however, struck the post.
Caicedo tried his luck from distance in the 42nd minute, but his shot went wide. The first half ended with 1-0 for Chelsea.
Crystal Palace came close to equalizing in the 49th minute when Eze, unmarked inside the box, received a low cross and fired a shot that narrowly missed the post.
The Eagles continued to push for a goal, and in the 55th minute, Richards rose to meet a corner with a powerful header, but Chelsea goalkeeper Sanchez made a brilliant save to deny him.
After a brief lull in the game, Chelsea created another opportunity in the 70th minute when Enzo fired a low shot from the edge of the area, which again went just wide of the post.
Moments later, Jackson received a perfect pass inside the area, giving him a clear chance against Henderson. However, his low shot also missed the target, going wide of the post.
Crystal Palace finally found the equalizer in the 82nd minute when Eze, with a one-on-one chance against Sanchez, opted to pass to Mateta, who easily tapped the ball into the net.
In the 86th minute, Enzo came close to snatching a late winner for Chelsea with a powerful long-range shot, but it too went just wide of the post. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.
