Chelsea had wasted enough chances that when Eberechi Eze got possession of the ball 20 yards from goal, a sense of inevitability settled over Stamford Bridge. The curling shot was beyond the reach of Robert Sanchez, denying Enzo Maresca his first home Premier League win.
For all the talent that has arrived, with Jadon Sancho the latest big name to be loaned out on a season-long loan from Manchester United, it’s hard not to look at who Chelsea didn’t land after disappointing like they did on Sunday. Namely the superstar striker who could have won them this match, their negotiations with Napoli’s Victor Osimhen ultimately came to nothing, even as they pushed deep into the deadline.
Nicolas Jackson is a player full of promise, and he will sign a contract extension until 2033 as a reward for the progress he made in his first Premier League season. He tapped in an assist from Cole Palmer to open the scoring and celebrated by forming a gun with his fingers.
But the 23-year-old Senegalese is no assassin, as he proved in injury time when he squandered two glorious chances to win this match. He will have a huge task to score the goals that will take Chelsea to the next level, with Champions League qualification a quest this season.
Nine deal sheets had been submitted to the Premier League before the 11pm deadline on Friday. The document was needed to give clubs an extra two hours to complete the paperwork. Chelsea were involved in four of them.
Eberechi Eze scored a spectacular goal to see Crystal Palace secure a 1-1 draw against Chelsea
Nicolas Jackson opened the scoring after 25 minutes, capitalising on a Chelsea counter-attack
But Enzo Maresca’s team had to regret their mistakes after wasting several chances
It became a late show as Raheem Sterling was loaned to Arsenal, Trevoh Chalobah to Crystal Palace and Armando Broja to Everton, while they finalised their own deal for Sancho with an obligation to buy. “Give me the bloody wine,” a source replied on WhatsApp at 1.18am on Saturday morning, summing up how stressful it had all been.
Sancho was a spectator here at Stamford Bridge and their new number 19 sat next to Behdad Eghbali in the players’ box as they watched Chelsea take control of the game.
Palmer came close when he curled the ball wide from outside the box, while Noni Madueke became a major source of creativity on Chelsea’s right. England’s newest signing taunted Will Hughes as if he had wronged him before.
Madueke should have scored in the 22nd minute after breaking through at the back, but the ball rolled wide as the goal gaped. In the 23rd he thought he had atoned for that miss by getting on the end of Enzo Fernandez’s cross, but Dean Henderson made a remarkable save when he tipped his volley over.
But when Chelsea eventually made it 1-0, Madueke was instrumental in starting the move. He used his pace to skin Hughes before playing a pass beyond Palmer, who then set up Jackson for the tap-in. Never one to shy away from a chance to be cheeky, he celebrated for the Palace side, who had been vocal in their support from the start.
Maresca had rewatched Palace’s two Premier League defeats to Brentford and West Ham as part of his homework. He believed that neither defeat was deserved, a fact that was passed on to Chelsea’s players as a reminder that this would not be a walk in the park.
Yet Palace had offered little threat at Stamford Bridge, with Oliver Glasner often showing his frustration from the technical area. The closest the visitors came to scoring came in the first half when Adam Wharton tamely tested Sanchez from 20 yards. Eze then fired a 40-yard free-kick wide in injury time.
Early in the second half, Hughes did well to avoid a second yellow card for a cynical foul on Palmer in the middle of the goal. The 22-year-old, another addition to Lee Carsley’s England squad, took the free-kick himself, forcing Henderson into an acrobatic one-handed save. From the ensuing corner, Levi Colwill’s header was headed wide by the Palace goalkeeper.
Jadon Sancho was presented to fans at Stamford Bridge before the match after joining the Blues from Manchester United last week
Noni Madueke (left) became a major source of creativity on Chelsea’s right side and was crucial to their goal
Chelsea are a hard bunch to decipher. They can demolish Wolves 6-2 in the Premier League, but can lose 2-1 to Servette in the Conference League.
In the 50th minute, Glaser put Hughes out of his misery before another foul earned him a red card, replacing him with Cheick Doucoure. The substitute was subsequently involved in Palace’s equaliser.
It started with Wharton driving into the box before feeding Doucoure. His shot was blocked but Eze had space to fire from 20 yards. You knew what was coming. He curled the ball, as coolly as you like, into the corner for 1-1, giving Palace the upper hand.
Suddenly the visitors were in charge, Maresca responding by bringing on Joao Felix in place of Neto, whose minutes are being managed after an injury-plagued season at Wolves.
In the 63rd minute, Jackson committed a foul while competing for a long ball, but then played on and scored after everyone had stopped. Referee Jarred Gillett decided he had overstepped the mark and gave him a yellow card.
Chelsea fans began to show their frustration when Sanchez nearly deflected a shot from Daichi Kamada into his own net. With eight minutes of injury time announced, Jackson fired into the side netting, fooling some at Stamford Bridge into thinking it was in.
Palace struggled to show an attacking threat early in the game, with Oliver Glasner venting his frustrations on the touchline
But the Eagles came into the game and put Chelsea under even more pressure after the goal
A few seconds later he was through again, but with only Henderson left to beat, he was unable to do so as Nathaniel Clyne put pressure on him from behind.
Chelsea are a tricky team to decipher. They can beat Wolves 6-2 in the Premier League, but can lose 2-1 to Servette in the Conference League. Maresca’s men certainly had the chances to win this clash, but lacked the striker to convert them.