'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Chelsea outclassed Crystal Palace by 3-1 to extend their unbeaten start to the season and keep pace with Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal. They now have eight wins and three draws from their 11 matches.
As envisioned by almost everybody that follows and celebrates the Premier League, the Blues comfortably recycled possession knocked it around and kept it ticking. They were forced to go wide as Hodgson's men clogged the midfield and the central areas of the pitch. As a result, Azpilicueta and Alonso were heavily involved.
It was a lacklustre first-half that had anything but the spark of a London derby. The hosts failed to penetrate through a packed Crystal Palace defence but kept it flowing repeatedly. They ended the first 45 minutes with 77% possession and a total of 422 passes in contrast to the Eagles' 124.
Trending
A few shots from Morata and Willian were blocked and more often than not, a final ball was lacking from the home side. However, a cross from Pedro met Morata, who scored his third goal in the fourth league match with ease.
A couple of attempts from Max Meyer down the left did lift the away supporters' spirits, but there wasn't much to test Cesar Azplicueta and company at the back.
The second-half began in similar fashion, with Chelsea hogging all the possession and Palace nowhere near them. However, against the run of play, a miscommunication between the Chelsea centre-backs led to an Andros Townsend goal, which was extremely well taken.
Their newfound hope only lasted for 12 minutes though, as an Eden Hazard free-kick found Alvaro Morata, who doubled his tally. Moments later, Alonso whipped a cross in, Pedro made a clever into the six-yard area and put the game to bed with a calm finish.
For the rest of the match, Sarri's men churned out chances and played it around whereas their opponents almost ran out of ideas.
Here are 5 players who experienced mixed outings at Stamford Bridge.
#5 Hit: N'Golo Kante
N'Golo Kante wasn't as involved as he would want to be in that advanced role down the right, but nonetheless, he is still quite the natural match-winner he always has been. And today, once again, he proved himself.
He won all 50-50 duels, pick pocketed Wilfred Zaha on a few occasions and re-installed possession for his side with neatness and sharpness. The Frenchman chased down opposition wingers and tracked them till they surrendered possession. To say the least, he nullified any chance of a Crystal Palace counter-attack.
Going forward, he may not be the most incisive in the final third, but his technique and the way he uses his low center or gravity to skip past players is becoming an asset for Chelsea. He fed in passes for Azpilicueta and Pedro a number of times made a couple of daunting runs down the right to add to his all-round game.
His intelligence and ability to read the game seems to be covering up for Jorginho's athletic inabilities and lack of pace.
#4 Flop: Patrick Van Aanholt
Patrick Van Aanholt endured a shocker in his return to Stamford Bridge. If seen in terms of positioning, the former Chelsea man was pathetic. Yes, he is an attack-minded fullback, but many a time, Van Aanholt was seen back peddling and out of position.
He failed to lock down the left flank and it was clearly visible as Chelsea's best attacks were crafted from that side. The Dutchman was easily beaten to it by the likes of N'Golo Kante and Pedro. During Chelsea's third goal, he completely left the latter free and due to that error, the game was done and dusted.
How can one make a schoolboy error such as this? When Alonso had received the ball at left wing, Van Aanholt was a good six yards ahead of Pedro, who ran across him and snatched the game out of Palace's hands.
Going forward, his crosses were wayward and off target. Moreover, he was denied the opportunity to advance forward. His finishing completely lacked composure as well.
#3 Hit: Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Unlike his full-back partner, 20-year-old Wan-Bissaka was on top of his game. The youngster astutely responded to Chelsea's collective attacking unit down the left and picked his man with lucidity.
He won aerial duels, man-marked the right person and contributed with last-ditch tackles whenever required. More importantly, most of his challenges were clean and near perfect. He prevented crosses and forced back passes from the likes of Alonso and Willian. As a result, they were made to drift infield and battle it out with a jammed midfield.
He stayed out wide, cleared the ball with safety and put his best foot forward while getting higher up the pitch.
Although his teammates couldn't sustain Chelsea's high press for too long, the Englishman looked rather comfortable on the ball. A few of his crosses were well-constructed and created too. All in all, against a formidable opponent such as Chelsea, Aaron Wan-Bissaka put in a good shift at right back.
#2 Flop: David Luiz
Chelsea's defence was rather untested for the entire match except for one occasion. In fact, the home side only faced two shots on goal, one of which was a tame effort.
Andros Townsend ran through the space between Luiz and Rudiger, who were both positioned high up the pitch. They failed to communicate and the former completely missed the winger.
Neither did he sense the run, nor did he catch the pacy Townsend. Luiz didn't put his body on the line either and as a result, Kepa Arrizabalaga lost a well-deserved clean sheet.
Sarri has reiterated his side's inability to defend consistently with pure concentration, and today was another indication of the same by David Luiz.
The Brazilian should have scored once too, as he was beautifully picked out by a Willian free-kick. Although this wasn't the worst of performances if seen on an overall note, these little moments can prove to be costly.
#1 Hit: Alvaro Morata
To say the least, Alvaro Morata is back in business. It took him a while to be regularly involved in the mix of proceedings, but once he did, the Spaniard ignited a rather ordinary first-half.
Before we speak of his brilliance whilst netting both the goals, let us appreciate his neer-say-die attitude. The 26-year-old steered the high press system and chased down opposition defenders. Once he bagged his first goal, he looked a different commodity on the pitch.
Morata's build-up improved as minutes wore on and he started to run off the back of opponents more willingly. For his first, he received a cross from Pedro, laid it down for himself and smashed it into the back of the net with conviction.
His second was even better. Hazard's free-kick fell to him and from a narrow-angle, the sharpshooter fizzed a shot past Hennessey to restore Chelsea's lead. He could have scored a hat-trick in the dying stages of the match, but nonetheless, he looks like a player reborn under the stewardship of Maurizio Sarri.
