Chelsea’s winless run extends to four games: Five things we learned from Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea | OneFootball

Jean Philippe Mateta’s late equaliser saw Chelsea drop further points in the Premier League title race as they drew 1-1 with Crystal Palace.

Cole Palmer opened the scoring for the Blues 14 minutes into the match, but Enzo Maresca’s men were made to pay for their sloppiness throughout the match when Mateta tapped home the equaliser with ten minutes remaining.

Chelsea fourth winless game in a row sees them remain in the Premier League top four, but potentially losing further ground on leaders Liverpool.

Here are five things our reporter James St Denis learned from a frantic match at Selhurst Park…

Sancho finally showing potential

Jadon Sancho looks to have found a home at Chelsea after a tough start to his Blues career. The 24-year-old joined on transfer deadline day in the summer and started his time in west London with three assists in his opening three games. A spell out of the team followed but in December Sancho returned to the Chelsea team, scoring twice since and opening his 2025 with an assist to Palmer’s opener. A positive start to the new year.

Palmer continues red hot form

Despite Enzo Maresca’s claims that Cole Palmer is not un-droppable, the Englishman’s form would suggest otherwise. Despite a couple of underwhelming performances to round off 2024, which saw Chelsea’s form also nosedive, Palmer still managed five goals and one assist in December. It took the 22-year-old 14 minutes into the first game of 2025 to get his first goal and his 14th in the Premier League this season. This shows just how important the England international is to the Blues.

Chelsea far from comfortable against Palace

Chelsea were far from comfortable against Crystal Palace. The Blues were always vulnerable on the counte-rattack, and Oliver Glasner’s side consistently exploited this. For most of the game there were good defensive actions from the visitors and poor finishing from the Palace forwards, but Enzo Maresca must have rued the missed opportunities when Mateta tapped in the equaliser. More dropped points for the west Londoners.

Acheampong impresses on first league start

Josh Acheampong was the talk of west London for a fair chunk of the season, when rumours about him being pushed out of the first team and Under-21s surfaced after contract talks had stalled. Since then, the 18-year-old has signed a new deal with the Blues, started against Astana and now he has started in the Premier League. Deputising at centre-back, the defender appeared comfortable in the centre and was unfazed by the pressure of Palace’s front three.

Palace improvement continues

Crystal Palace’s upward trajectory continued after their comeback draw against Chelsea. The additional point to their league total sees Glasner’s side move six points clear of the relegation zone after drawing with another of the Premier League big boys. With the January transfer window now open, Palace have a chance of enjoying a better second half of the campaign.