Chelsea produced a dominant second-half display to secure a 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace despite late resistance from the hosts at Selhurst Park.
The Blues took control of the match in the 36th minute when Estêvão capitalised on a defensive error, breaking through before calmly slotting home with a left-footed finish to give Chelsea the lead.
Crystal Palace responded with spells of pressure before the break, with Jean-Philippe Mateta coming close on a couple of occasions, but Chelsea went into halftime 1-0 up after looking the sharper side.
Chelsea doubled their advantage shortly after the restart. In the 54th minute, João Pedro struck a composed left-footed effort from inside the box to make it 2-0, underlining the visitors’ growing dominance.
The match swung further in Chelsea’s favour in the 72nd minute when Palace midfielder Adam Wharton was sent off for a foul on Moisés Caicedo, leaving the hosts with ten men.
Following a VAR review, Chelsea were awarded a penalty in the 62nd minute for a handball by Jaydee Canvot, who was booked for the offence. Enzo Fernández stepped up and converted confidently to stretch the lead to 3-0.
Despite being a man down, Palace showed resilience and pulled one back late on. In the 86th minute, Chris Richards headed home from close range after a corner kick caused chaos in the Chelsea box, giving the home fans something to cheer as the scoreline moved to 3-1.
The referee added nine minutes of stoppage time, with tempers flaring and fouls increasing as Palace pushed for another goal, but Chelsea managed the closing stages well to see out the win.
The victory strengthens Chelsea’s push near the top end of the table, while Crystal Palace were left frustrated after a night that saw promise undone by mistakes and a costly red card
