Chelsea equalled their club record of eleven wins in a row at the expense of their London rivals Crystal Palace. It was yet another 1-0 win that will frustrate their rivals even more. After the win, the Blues moved nine points clear of Liverpool and Arsenal as of now and both teams have tough games on their hands this gameweek. Once again, it was Diego Costa who scored the solo goal in the game to give his side all three points.
Marcos Alonso nearly doubled the visitors’ lead as he hit the underside of the crossbar with a 25-yard free-kick. Jason Puncheon got a number of chances to get a goal for Crystal Palace but could not find the target.
Despite the win, Chelsea fans will be concerned about the fact that Diego Costa picked up his fifth yellow card of the season and will miss the Bournemouth game on the Boxing Day. The Spanish international has often won the London giants games on his own and he will be sorely missed against a fighting Cherries team managed by Eddie Howe.
Chelsea will have their eyes on Arsenal’s 14-game winning streak and realistically, they have every chance to equal or beat that record given the run of form they are in. Let us take a look at how the Chelsea players fared in their win against Crystal Palace.
Thibaut Courtois: 7/10
Hardly had to make a save. Was solid with his handling, especially in set-pieces.
Cesar Azpilicueta: 8/10
Was brilliant defensively. Often burst forward as an auxiliary right-back. Came up with a smashing cross for the goal.
David Luiz: 7.5/10
Led the backline brilliantly. Calm and composed as usual. Might have work on his side-foot technique for free kicks, though!
Gary Cahill: 8/10
Cahill had an excellent game. Dealt with Benteke’s aerial threat with perfection. His tackling was impressive.
Victor Moses: 7/10
Defended his flank really well. Was a threat attacking wise too.
