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Chelsea ran out 3-1 winners against Crystal Palace on Sunday during their Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge as they leapfrogged Liverpool on goal difference to secure second place in the table. Maurizio Sarri's men showed tremendous character to come out on top in the end despite not quite hitting their lofty standards in what proved to be a sluggish first half performance.
Alvaro Morata opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, after getting on the end of a cut-back from Pedro, to give the hosts an advantage while heading into the half-time interval. However, the visitors took advantage of Chelsea's slow start in the second half through Andros Townsend's equalizer in the 53rd minute, but the celebrations did not last too long either.
Morata restored Chelsea's lead in the 65th minute when Eden Hazard, who came on as a second-half substitute, delivered a well-worked set-piece routine towards the far post for the Spaniard to bag his brace on the night. The Blues completed the rout just five minutes later through Pedro, who deservedly got on the end of a low cross from Marcos Alonso to highlight his impressive outing with a goal.
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The result meant that Chelsea continue to remain in touching distance with Manchester City and helped them push ahead of Liverpool on goal difference. Without further delay, let's take a closer look at the major talking points from the game:
#1 The records continue to tumble under Maurizio Sarri
Perhaps no other set of fans or group of players are so used to adapting themselves to the ways of a new manager as those at Chelsea over the years, thanks to Roman Abramovich's relentless quest for perfection. Maurizio Sarri, the latest candidate to have occupied the hot-seat at Stamford Bridge, has taken very little or not time at all to get used to the demands of the Premier League.
The Italian has forged together a commendable 11-game unbeaten run in the Premier League since taking over in west London and equalled Frank Clark's record dating back to 1994 with Nottingham Forest for the longest undefeated start for a new manager in the top-flight.
Chelsea are also the first team in Europe to complete more than 7000 passes across all competitions after they racked up an impressive 800 passes - the highest by any team in England this weekend - during their win over Palace on Sunday.
The early signs continue to remain positive for Sarri as he looks determined to outshine every single one of his predecessors at the club with his exciting brand of football.
#2 Palace conjure a reaction but were swept aside in the end
Roy Hodgson's men were dogged in their approach during the first half and were happy to sit back and concede possession as Chelsea slowly secured the upper hand despite being sluggish inside the final third. The Eagles wouldn't have ideally wanted to concede that goal in the first half, but they managed to rally themselves and respond well during the initial stages after the half-time interval.
The visitors forced Chelsea onto the back foot and made the best use of a lapse in concentration from them to restore parity between the two sides when Andros Townsend ran at the defenders before slotting the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga.
However, that would amount to nothing as Chelsea restored their one-goal cushion just 12 minutes later through Morata's neat finish from a set-piece before Pedro added the killer blow in the 70th minute to put the result beyond any doubt.
It is true that you get what you pay for and the gulf in class between the two sides stood out glaringly in the end since Chelsea secured maximum points despite not being at their destructive best for the majority of the game.
#3 Morata might just rekindle his mojo with that performance
Alvaro Morata has struggled to live up to his hefty price-tag at Chelsea and has been nothing short of a passenger within the team if you count out his impressive performances during the first half of last season. The Spaniard had endured a torrid run of 2 goals from 20 games in the Premier League, but a sudden change in fortunes during recent weeks has seen him score four goals in as many games after his brace against Crystal Palace.
The 26-year-old did well to power himself into a position to put the finishing touch during Chelsea's opening goal while he displayed good technical ability to complete his brace in the second half after a composed finish with his weak foot.
There was time for maybe even a third but Morata's audacious attempt to lob Wayne Hennessey failed to materialize after he was played through on goal by Eden Hazard on the back of a quick counter-attack. On the brighter side of things, it is a good omen that Morata gathered enough confidence to attempt that slick finish despite failing to tuck it away in the end.
Morata, who joined the club on a then record-deal last summer, has now scored more goals than both Romelu Lukaku and Roberto Firmino across all competitions this season and this performance could well act as a spring in his step.
#4 The best is yet to come from N'Golo Kante
N'Golo Kante wasted very little time in establishing himself as an integral part of the Chelsea side since arriving from Leicester City after helping the Foxes to the Premier League title in 2016. However, the change in management over the course of the summer has meant that Kante is now operating in an unfamiliar role within the 4-3-3 formation deployed by Sarri.
The Frenchman has started games on the right side of midfield, albeit being tried and tested successfully from a more central role, and has yet to live up to the expectations under Sarri this term.
Kante struggled to make an impact against Palace due to his lack of technical ability while going forward and sprayed a few misplaced passes in the first half while also finding himself out of place and out of purpose during a number of instances.
The midfielder is still only getting accustomed to the new role, but he is undoubtedly having to deal with a huge learning curve that could make-or-break him by the end of the season.
#5 Chelsea - The Dark horse in a three-way race at the top
Chelsea are still not favourites for the league title, but their promising start under Maurizio Sarri is not one to turn a blind eye on to be quite honest. The Blues have adapted handsomely to the new regime and it feels like they are liberated from the authoritarian influence that Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte had instilled within the fundamentals of the way they function as a team.
Sarri's men might not have the same panache as Manchester City or Liverpool, but they are well and truly in the race at this point in time and it could only get better with time. Pep Guardiola's men continue to set the benchmark for their rivals in the league with only Liverpool considered as the closest the Premier League can hope for a resistance this season.
However, Sarri and co. are more than capable of becoming the dark horses in the race for the title this season considering that they have an outside chance, which is slowly but steadily coming into the limelight after every passing week.
