Chelsea FC showed a successful reaction after their fourth consecutive away defeat. Joker Madueke gave the Blues a late winner against Crystal Palace on Nkunku’s starting debut
Chelsea FC came into their clash with Crystal Palace on the back of a fourth consecutive away defeat and exuded confidence despite another sobering 2-1 loss at Wolverhampton. After all, the ultimately insignificant goal was scored by new summer signing Nkunku, who had spent almost all of his first six months in London in the stands due to a knee injury. The Frenchman’s debut goal also marked his debut in the starting eleven against the Eagles.
Nkunku immediately a key player
The literally central role that the ex-Leipzig native is to play in Mauricio Pochettino’s plans was evident from the very first second at Stamford Bridge. As the playmaker behind Jackson, the former Leipzig man whirled at will in the early stages and not only created Maatsen’s first good chance (9′), but also the lead through Mudryk (13′), who missed a brace in front of Henderson almost ten minutes later (22′).
Olise scores out of nowhere
With the exception of the goalscorer’s second chance, almost every Chelsea attack in the first half went through Nkunku, who had two more chances before the break. However, Jackson, who had already started from offside, clearly missed the ball after his through-ball (22′), before the Frenchman himself missed the 2-0 when he touched Richards as he moved in front of Henderson and hit an air pocket (26′). The Eagles punished their oversight with their first real chance moments before the half-time whistle. Olise converted Ayew’s cross perfectly and scored the flattering equalizer (45.+1).
In the second half, the Eagles deserved the 1:1 draw. Although the Blues had significantly more possession, the visitors initially had the more determined attacking moments. Mateta had a dangerous finish after one such moment, but Petrovic (55′) and Olise (81′) both found the net after a mistake by substitute Thiago Silva.
After Jackson’s miss: Blues on the VAR rollercoaster
For the hosts, meanwhile, the focus was on attacker Jackson. In the 74th minute, Gallagher had played him in perfectly, but he had put the ball past Henderson in the far corner. Moments later, the Senegalese player was able to celebrate – but only briefly. The VAR intervened as Jackson had been offside (77′).
Just before the end of normal time, the video referee intervened again, but this time in Chelsea’s favor. Eze had fouled Madueke, but referee Michael Salisbury initially allowed the action to continue (86′). After watching the replay on screen, however, the referee reversed his decision. Madueke was awarded the spot-kick, stepped up to take the spot-kick himself and scored the much-acclaimed winner to give the Blues their 12th league win in a row against Crystal Palace.
