I didn’t hold out much hope for today: with Cabaye, Bolasie & Wickham all missing we did lack any real cutting edge. Hopefully we would keep it tight and it might be a game with only one goal in it. The weather even raised memories of that match in the mud when Coleman, Ndah & Watts all scored in one of Selhurst Park’s greatest cup nights. And for over an hour it was a truly fascinating match – admittedly Chelsea had grabbed that “one goal” – with the result in the balance. Not full of chances – neither keeper was overworked – but the tactical battle of two teams more dangerous on the break with the added spice of a soaked & greasy pitch. Palace worked so hard and it could be argued the first goal came against the run of play. But a second half miss followed a minute later by a superb drive into the roof of Hennessey’s net knocked the heart out of us, and as we tired & Chelsea had no need to press, the last 30 minutes were torture, with Chelsea deserving the win but the scoreline was misleading into how hard both teams had played.
One contentious note was the officiating of Mr. Friend. I have no quibbles with any of Palace’s three yellow cards: all were clear-cut cautionable offences. Yet Chelsea players committed a number of similar fouls without even being spoken to, some on multiple occasions. We don’t ask for a referee to get every decision right but we do expect consistency within a game, even by a ref’s strange thought processes. Chelsea were allowed to break the game up without sanction, so they kept repeating the acts. An early caution for Azpilicueta, Mikel or Fabregas similar to that given to Delaney would have restricted the number of fouls they would commit later in the game.
Pardew had problems with the aforementioned absences, so made threw changes from the Swansea starting XI: Delaney returned from injury to replace Hangeland; Lee came into midfield for the suspended Cabaye; and Campbell replaced the not-quite-fit Chamakh. The bench saw the return of Sako – supposedly ruled out through injury – and the return from Midlands’ exile of Jonny Williams. At the start Palace lined up 4-4-2 with Zaha alongside Campbell, Lee on the right & Puncheon on the left, but the formation proved fluid, with both Lee & Puncheon having spells down the middle while Wilf drifted wide. Chelsea looked to be more 4-2-3-1 with Mikel in particular covering the area in front of their defence – it was probably the strongest XI fielded by them this season, while we were at probably our weakest, certainly in terms of attacking prowess.
Despite that Palace started well: Zaha made space for one dangerous cross and then drove a shot just wide – sadly he didn’t continue in that vein. Neither could Palace and Chelsea acme back into the game, one brilliant challenge in the box by Delaney snuffing out their first possible opening, his next earning a yellow by coming through that thoroughly nice chap Costa. The midfield battle was fascinating and fluctuating, with McArthur and Jedinak up against players with big reputations (& egos to match). Hazard limped off early as neither side could gain the initiative, and play moved up & down the field as attack was followed by counter-attack. Everyone in a Palace shirt was working hard, Campbell & Lee in particular, although Zaha had lapsed back into one of those days where his speed of thought lagged behind his colleagues’, and his lack of anticipation in making off the ball runs caused several moves to be cut off. Despite that hard work we never came closer to a goal than Zaha’s early shot: Campbell couldn’t quite get enough on a fast low cross that skidded through to put it on target, while our set pieces tended to see Delaney heading up and Jedinak hustling Courtois without success.
The breakthrough was in part caused by the pitch, as Delaney – detailed to mark Costa – slipped as a through ball was played, allowing Costa time & space to draw Hennessey to the near post and deliver a simple ball for Oscar to knock in from close range. For a few minutes Palace wobbled and Hennessey had to make a routine save from Azpilicueta when Lee lost his man, but the battle was soon rejoined on a more equal footing, and while there were boos at half-time they were universally reserved for the Friend in yellow. Second half started with Chelsea earning a couple of corners then Zouma missed a far post header from a Willian free kick which he really should have scored from such close range. Yet the equilibrium was soon re-established and the game was in the balance again, with Jedinak cautioned for a typical foul, until there was a fateful 60 seconds. Campbell played Zaha in the inside-left channel, and although Wilf had time to take a touch to set himself, his shot was weak & straight at the keeper – sadly it summed up his performance for most of the game.
Within a minute the game was lost, and instead of 1-1 it was 2-0 as Willian escaped the attentions of Palace’s defensive screen to thump a drive into the roof of the net on Hennessey’s near post, but I doubt any keeper could have prevented that. The same could not be said for the third, when Wayne let Willian’s shot squirm from his grasp and Costa responded faster than Ward to score from a yard out; it may have been a greasy ball but I feel it was one Wayne should have held onto. Pardew had already been lining up a double change and replaced Campbell & Jedinak with Chamakh & Ledley but the game was gone. Palace’s adrenalin was spent, either physically or mentally, and the remainder of the match saw the return of Chelsea’s clever & fast passing play that they’d shown here last season. If it had not been for two Dann interceptions and one fine sliding tackle by Delaney it could have been five or six. Dann, who had switched to mark Costa in the second half, earned a yellow for a cynical foul, correctly awarded but had it been a black/grey shirt he was wearing he might have got away with it. Jonny Williams replaced Lee – I was surprised Zaha stayed on given his display – but it was into a beaten midfield, and even a consolation goal was beyond us, a late effort by Puncheon drifting into Courtois’s arms. I made it our third realistic strike on goal in 90 minutes, not that Chelsea had many more, while the quality of our crosses increasingly reflected our desperation.
Hennessey – 6 – No chance with the first, I don’t think he had much with the second, but did feel he could have done better with the third in a very similar situation to McCarthy against City, and Julian a couple of times last season. Apart from that there was one sliced clearance as he took an age to line up a kick.
Ward – 7 – Had problems in the first half with attacks down his flank, perhaps not helped by the changes in position ahead of him, often leaving him outnumbered.
Souaré – 6 – Will be interested to see if he should have closed down Oscar or Willian in the build-up to the second & third goals. His attacking runs were as good as his crosses were awful.
Delaney – 7 – Had a good first half marking Costa until he seemed to lose his footing against the through ball that led to their first goal. Two marvellous tackles, one in each half that if he had mistimed would have been red cards & penalties. As ever cannot fault his efforts.
Dann – 8 – Played the spare man at the back in the first half then switched to mark Costa in the second with Damien on a caution. Made two good interceptions in the second half that prevented a rout, along with a yellow for chopping down Costa.
Jedinak – 7 – Fine defensive display by Jedinak but would like to see how easily the midfield screen was evaded for their second & third goals. His passing was poor at times, a couple of those inadvertent scoops showing up, but was string in the air & the tackle. Second yellow in successive matches.
McArthur – 7 – Very good for an hour when he seemed to be everywhere, not only backing up the Jedi defensively but looking to be the fulcrum of the team, spreading passes from the middle of the pitch. As with Jedi would need to see replays of the second half goals to see how Willian twice got shots off. As with the rest of the team his performance dropped once the second went in.
Lee – 6 – Started brightly with a good cross and worked fine both down the right & in the middle. Had one effort on goal that he hit high when on that pitch a driven shot-cum-cross would be a better option. Gradually he was less influential & was withdrawn for Williams late on.
Puncheon – 6 – Like most of the team had a fine game for an hour. Many of Palace’s attacking threats involved Jason in some form.
Zaha – 5 – Started brightly with an early shot, but soon drifted away into one of those displays where he didn’t anticipate where the ball would be played, and increasingly lost possession. Missed a great chance for an equaliser, and then finally got fired up when it was too late, when he showed his tricks but followed them up with some appalling crossing. Really should have been subbed to drive home that a place in the team is on performance, not reputation.
Campbell – 7 – Yeah, a surprisingly high mark for a striker who had one half-chance at goal, and that a difficult cross beyond the far post at an acute angle. Yet his efforts never flagged and, as seems common for us these Premier League seasons, despite being shot-shy our striker did get involved in making potential openings for others. If Wilf had displayed the same work ethic today we may well have grabbed a point. He never let Chelsea’s back four or keeper have a moment’s peace.
Ledley – 6 – Difficult for all the subs to come into a beaten side; Joe had a couple of good moments but also conceded the ball once in dangerous circumstances.
Chamakh – 5 – Hardly saw the ball, although given Chelsea monopolised it after he joined the game that’s not really his fault.
Williams – 6 – A couple of nice touches, one run that resembled a terrier chasing its tail, but still good to see Jonny back in a Palace shirt.
One contentious note was the officiating of Mr. Friend. I have no quibbles with any of Palace’s three yellow cards: all were clear-cut cautionable offences. Yet Chelsea players committed a number of similar fouls without even being spoken to, some on multiple occasions. We don’t ask for a referee to get every decision right but we do expect consistency within a game, even by a ref’s strange thought processes. Chelsea were allowed to break the game up without sanction, so they kept repeating the acts. An early caution for Azpilicueta, Mikel or Fabregas similar to that given to Delaney would have restricted the number of fouls they would commit later in the game.
Pardew had problems with the aforementioned absences, so made threw changes from the Swansea starting XI: Delaney returned from injury to replace Hangeland; Lee came into midfield for the suspended Cabaye; and Campbell replaced the not-quite-fit Chamakh. The bench saw the return of Sako – supposedly ruled out through injury – and the return from Midlands’ exile of Jonny Williams. At the start Palace lined up 4-4-2 with Zaha alongside Campbell, Lee on the right & Puncheon on the left, but the formation proved fluid, with both Lee & Puncheon having spells down the middle while Wilf drifted wide. Chelsea looked to be more 4-2-3-1 with Mikel in particular covering the area in front of their defence – it was probably the strongest XI fielded by them this season, while we were at probably our weakest, certainly in terms of attacking prowess.
Despite that Palace started well: Zaha made space for one dangerous cross and then drove a shot just wide – sadly he didn’t continue in that vein. Neither could Palace and Chelsea acme back into the game, one brilliant challenge in the box by Delaney snuffing out their first possible opening, his next earning a yellow by coming through that thoroughly nice chap Costa. The midfield battle was fascinating and fluctuating, with McArthur and Jedinak up against players with big reputations (& egos to match). Hazard limped off early as neither side could gain the initiative, and play moved up & down the field as attack was followed by counter-attack. Everyone in a Palace shirt was working hard, Campbell & Lee in particular, although Zaha had lapsed back into one of those days where his speed of thought lagged behind his colleagues’, and his lack of anticipation in making off the ball runs caused several moves to be cut off. Despite that hard work we never came closer to a goal than Zaha’s early shot: Campbell couldn’t quite get enough on a fast low cross that skidded through to put it on target, while our set pieces tended to see Delaney heading up and Jedinak hustling Courtois without success.
The breakthrough was in part caused by the pitch, as Delaney – detailed to mark Costa – slipped as a through ball was played, allowing Costa time & space to draw Hennessey to the near post and deliver a simple ball for Oscar to knock in from close range. For a few minutes Palace wobbled and Hennessey had to make a routine save from Azpilicueta when Lee lost his man, but the battle was soon rejoined on a more equal footing, and while there were boos at half-time they were universally reserved for the Friend in yellow. Second half started with Chelsea earning a couple of corners then Zouma missed a far post header from a Willian free kick which he really should have scored from such close range. Yet the equilibrium was soon re-established and the game was in the balance again, with Jedinak cautioned for a typical foul, until there was a fateful 60 seconds. Campbell played Zaha in the inside-left channel, and although Wilf had time to take a touch to set himself, his shot was weak & straight at the keeper – sadly it summed up his performance for most of the game.
Within a minute the game was lost, and instead of 1-1 it was 2-0 as Willian escaped the attentions of Palace’s defensive screen to thump a drive into the roof of the net on Hennessey’s near post, but I doubt any keeper could have prevented that. The same could not be said for the third, when Wayne let Willian’s shot squirm from his grasp and Costa responded faster than Ward to score from a yard out; it may have been a greasy ball but I feel it was one Wayne should have held onto. Pardew had already been lining up a double change and replaced Campbell & Jedinak with Chamakh & Ledley but the game was gone. Palace’s adrenalin was spent, either physically or mentally, and the remainder of the match saw the return of Chelsea’s clever & fast passing play that they’d shown here last season. If it had not been for two Dann interceptions and one fine sliding tackle by Delaney it could have been five or six. Dann, who had switched to mark Costa in the second half, earned a yellow for a cynical foul, correctly awarded but had it been a black/grey shirt he was wearing he might have got away with it. Jonny Williams replaced Lee – I was surprised Zaha stayed on given his display – but it was into a beaten midfield, and even a consolation goal was beyond us, a late effort by Puncheon drifting into Courtois’s arms. I made it our third realistic strike on goal in 90 minutes, not that Chelsea had many more, while the quality of our crosses increasingly reflected our desperation.
Hennessey – 6 – No chance with the first, I don’t think he had much with the second, but did feel he could have done better with the third in a very similar situation to McCarthy against City, and Julian a couple of times last season. Apart from that there was one sliced clearance as he took an age to line up a kick.
Ward – 7 – Had problems in the first half with attacks down his flank, perhaps not helped by the changes in position ahead of him, often leaving him outnumbered.
Souaré – 6 – Will be interested to see if he should have closed down Oscar or Willian in the build-up to the second & third goals. His attacking runs were as good as his crosses were awful.
Delaney – 7 – Had a good first half marking Costa until he seemed to lose his footing against the through ball that led to their first goal. Two marvellous tackles, one in each half that if he had mistimed would have been red cards & penalties. As ever cannot fault his efforts.
Dann – 8 – Played the spare man at the back in the first half then switched to mark Costa in the second with Damien on a caution. Made two good interceptions in the second half that prevented a rout, along with a yellow for chopping down Costa.
Jedinak – 7 – Fine defensive display by Jedinak but would like to see how easily the midfield screen was evaded for their second & third goals. His passing was poor at times, a couple of those inadvertent scoops showing up, but was string in the air & the tackle. Second yellow in successive matches.
McArthur – 7 – Very good for an hour when he seemed to be everywhere, not only backing up the Jedi defensively but looking to be the fulcrum of the team, spreading passes from the middle of the pitch. As with Jedi would need to see replays of the second half goals to see how Willian twice got shots off. As with the rest of the team his performance dropped once the second went in.
Lee – 6 – Started brightly with a good cross and worked fine both down the right & in the middle. Had one effort on goal that he hit high when on that pitch a driven shot-cum-cross would be a better option. Gradually he was less influential & was withdrawn for Williams late on.
Puncheon – 6 – Like most of the team had a fine game for an hour. Many of Palace’s attacking threats involved Jason in some form.
Zaha – 5 – Started brightly with an early shot, but soon drifted away into one of those displays where he didn’t anticipate where the ball would be played, and increasingly lost possession. Missed a great chance for an equaliser, and then finally got fired up when it was too late, when he showed his tricks but followed them up with some appalling crossing. Really should have been subbed to drive home that a place in the team is on performance, not reputation.
Campbell – 7 – Yeah, a surprisingly high mark for a striker who had one half-chance at goal, and that a difficult cross beyond the far post at an acute angle. Yet his efforts never flagged and, as seems common for us these Premier League seasons, despite being shot-shy our striker did get involved in making potential openings for others. If Wilf had displayed the same work ethic today we may well have grabbed a point. He never let Chelsea’s back four or keeper have a moment’s peace.
Ledley – 6 – Difficult for all the subs to come into a beaten side; Joe had a couple of good moments but also conceded the ball once in dangerous circumstances.
Chamakh – 5 – Hardly saw the ball, although given Chelsea monopolised it after he joined the game that’s not really his fault.
Williams – 6 – A couple of nice touches, one run that resembled a terrier chasing its tail, but still good to see Jonny back in a Palace shirt.
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