Crystal Palace 0-1 Chelsea
Chelsea: Costa 43’
Man of the match: Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
On the equivalent weekend this time last year, Chelsea were 16th in the table and without a permanent manager. Jose Mourinho had been dismissed a few days previously following his side's disastrous start to their Premier League title defence, with supporters protesting the sacking by accusing players such as Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard of treachery.
Crystal Palace, meanwhile, were on the crest of a wave. A 2-1 victory over Stoke City, secured by Lee Chung-yong's stunning strike late on, kept Alan Pardew's charges sixth in the standings and level on points with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the two spots immediately above them.
More Chelsea
• Greg Lea: Victor Moses has been successfully reinvented by Antonio Conte
• Premier League results: Chelsea are the new Leicester
“We’re on the fringes of contesting for a Champions League place,” Pardew had said prior to his team’s triumph at the Britannia Stadium. “Our dream isn’t 10th again as we’re good enough to finish top six.”
What a difference 12 months makes. Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat of Palace on Saturday extended their winning run to 11 consecutive matches, with nine points now separating them from their closest championship challengers.
Palace’s recent form makes for rather grimmer reading. This loss to the league leaders was their 10th of the campaign, while they have now emerged victorious from only one of their last 11 encounters. As the halfway stage of the season approaches, they are beginning to look over their shoulders at the relegation zone.
Palace actually started well at Selhurst Park in the opening fixture of the weekend, denying Chelsea space in the final third and giving them something to think about at the other end of the pitch. It was a tight first half featuring little penalty-box action, but a moment of individual quality shortly before the break swung the balance of the game in the visitors’ favour.
Scott Dann does not get beaten in the air very often, but even Palace’s 6ft 5in centre-half could not match Diego Costa’s tremendous leap in the 43rd minute. The Chelsea striker, who has now scored more goals this season than he managed in the whole of 2015/16, peeled towards the back post and nodded Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross into the back of the net to give his side a lead they would not relinquish.
Chelsea are such a dangerous outfit to play against when they are ahead: their biggest strength lies in the quality of Hazard, Willian, Costa and Pedro in transition, while a remarkable record of two goals conceded in their last 1040 minutes of Premier League action shows they are adept at soaking up pressure and keeping things tight at the back.
They again demonstrated that ability here, allowing Palace plenty of the ball in the second period but always succeeding in keeping them at arm’s length. The introduction of Cesc Fabregas and Branislav Ivanovic suggested that Conte wanted greater control, but Chelsea’s third 1-0 win in the space of six days never really looked in doubt.
“We’re working a lot to reach this level and it’s fantastic to stay top after 11 wins,” the Italian said in his post-match press conference. “To win 11 games in a row in this division isn’t simple.”
It is testament to Conte’s coaching that they have made it look so straightforward, though. Chelsea are the team to beat in the Premier League once more, with last season’s struggles now consigned to distant memory.
For Palace, it has been a miserable 12 months, featuring only six victories and 28 points in their last 38 top-tier matches. Just as they were unable to stop Costa’s climb in the penalty area, they could not halt Chelsea’s ascent or arrest their own slide.
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport