1. Chelsea are still a stronger side than they were last season, even without Diego Costa
This game was an opportunity to assess Chelsea without their top striker. Costa’s blistering start to the season has led some to believe that the Blues are a one-man team but their performance in this game was a clear indicator to the contrary.
Chelsea were a formidable side, especially when they had the ball. They created more good chances than they did last season against the so-called minnows.
2. Damian Delaney cannot afford to repeat his performance in this game
Chelsea were always favourites to win the game with the quality they have and the potential in players like Oscar to produce a moment of magic, such as the free-kick he scored.
That said, Neil Warnock would have expected his side to work hard and deny Chelsea any advantage from preventable situations. Delaney sabotaged that plan with his poor showing. He cheaply gave away the free-kick that gave Chelsea the opener. After that, referee Craig Pawson just intended to have a word with him after a poor challenge but the Palace central defender abusively told the referee not to talk to him, which earned him a booking.
You might expect him to be cautious after that but he needlessly got sent-off after hauling Loic Remy when he had enough cover. That wiped out the man advantage that could have helped Palace claim another memorable win.
3. John Terry was rock solid on his 500th appearance as Chelsea captain
Palace clearly targeted Chelsea’s central defenders with their attacking approach to this game, probably hoping to trouble Terry with the pace of their front-three, but the Blues captain contained that threat.
Palace only looked dangerous with their threat when they attacked Gary Cahill’s side. Terry also decisively cleared a horrible low cross between the keeper and defenders, which is frequently a source of own goals.
4. Wilfried Zaha still needs to work on his composure before he can displace Palace’s regular wingers
Zaha provided a perfectly weighted low cross for Crystal Palace’s late consolation but that was his only accurate cross. The young winger clearly showed his exceptional skills on the ball, but his final ball was disappointing.
Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon are among the best performers for the Eagles with their incisive offensive movement and their hard work defensively, so Zaha will have to improve his game before he can be a regular in this side.
5. Chelsea’s game management was the biggest positive for the Blues
This game produced a unique challenge for Chelsea this season. Cesar Azpilicueta was sent-off and their opponents lost their man advantage when Delaney got red carded within two minutes of Azpilicueta. It was 10 against 10 with a lot of ground to cover and a looming Champions League fixture at the back of their minds.
The Blues did an excellent job as they managed to conserve their energy while protecting their lead with ball retention for the entire second-half. Keeping the ball also allowed them to slow the tempo of the game. They are not going to cruise in every game so they will inevitably need to manage certain games as the season develops.
