Signing off
And it’s a stunner at the Bridge as Crystal Palace ride a outstanding defensive performance and the timely attacking of Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon for a famous win. The takeaway will no doubt focus on Chelsea, who have stumbled badly from the gate this season and are now eight points behind Manchester City after just four weeks. Will they make a move before the window closes? Only time will tell. Thanks for following along with us and check back later for a full match report.
Full-time: Chelsea 1-2 Crystal Palace
And there’s the final whistle: a famous win for Crystal Palace today and only Mourinho’s second loss as Chelsea manager in 100 matches at Stamford Bridge.
90 min+4: Palace win a foul and are happy to take their time setting it up.
90 min+2: Fabregas with the shot but it’s deflected, followed by another from Falcao that also caroms backwards and Palace quickly shift to attack.
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90 min: Fourth official announces five minutes of stoppage time.
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89 min: Palace win a corner as the final whistle looms. Cleared harmlessly.
88 min: Falcao wins a free kick when he’s tripped up near midfield by McArthur. It’s played into the box offered a moment of danger, but ultimately cleared safely.
87 min: Chelsea really pressuring now in search for the winner but Palace with 11 men behind the ball.
84 min: The Ivanovic #slander on Twitter right now is 🔥🔥🔥.
83 min: Final sub for Crystal Palace: Chung-yong Lee entering for Sako.
82 min: Falcao brought down near midfield but no whistle.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-2 Crystal Palace (Ward, 81 min)
And just when it looked as if Chelsea were setting in to seek a winner, it’s Joel Ward who put Palace ahead once again with a diving header off the rapid build-up from Bolasie and Sako. It’s the defender’s third career goal for Palace but second this season.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Crystal Palace (Falcao, 79 min)
And super sub Falcao have rescued Chelsea. A perfectly placed cross from Pedro finds Falcao in the area and he calmly deposits the diving equalizer.
74 min: Loftus-Cheek on for Matic, Chelsea’s third and final sub. Seconds later it should be 2-0 but Palace miss a golden opportunity to deliver a coup de grace: A wonderful long-distance cross threaded by Sako through a pair of Chelsea players finds Boulasie with nothing but goal in front of him but he misses.
72 min: Probably haven’t seen the last of the referee’s book as the action has turned feisty here. A yellow card for Cabaye just now for a challenge of Fabregas.
71 min: Cahill with a late, high challenge of Wickham and he’s shown yellow. It looks even worse on the replay. Very late, very high.
70 min: Chelsea on the attack now but can’t get a shot on target and the ball falls back to the middle third where the teams trade possession.
67 min: A second sub for Chelsea and Kenedy comes on, making his debut, to spell Azpilicueta.
66 min: Falcao immediately enters for Willian.
GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Crystal Palace (Sako, 65 min)
And it’s Palace with the breakthrough! Quick interplay between Souare and Bolasie up the left side before it’s played to Sako in the box. It’s initially blocked by a tackling Chelsea defender, but the ball stays at Sako’s feet, he clinically finishes from inside 10 yards and Palace are ahead at the Bridge.
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62 min: Diego Costa with a long, mazy run past no less than four Palace players. A nifty pass to Hazard, who puts a shot on goal but it’s deflected away. Chelsea really clicking now and putting Palace on the back foot.
61 min: At the hour mark Palace continue to do their best work up the left flank targeting Ivanovic, but at the moment it’s Chelsea on the attack. They’ve won a free kick in a dangerous area about 25 yards from goal. It falls to Ivanovic, who drives it toward the goal but it’s deflected by Delaney back to Zouma, who fires again on goal but it’s deflected ... by Delaney.
57 min: Chelsea win a corner. It’s taken short and sent into the area for Matic, who can’t put a head on it.
56 min: First change of the match for either side as Palace’s Yannick Bolasie enters for Wilfried Zaha.
55 min: A sharply struck right-footed shot from Sako right outside the area and a wonderful save by Courtois. That shot, directed to the near corner, was going in. Sako has shown a real willingness to go for goal of late: he attempted six shots – including five on target – against Aston Villa last week, more than any other player in a Premier League game this year.
52 min: Ivanovic and Zouma team up to clear a Wickham foray and Chelsea quickly counter. A moment of danger is snuffed out on the other end moments later. The match has really opened up here with with lots of up and down action.
50 min: Diego Costa is taken down in the area by Delaney and the Chelsea players and fans appeal for a penalty, but the Palace player got enough of the ball (barely) and Chelsea will have a corner. Corner quickly taken and harmlessly cleared.
48 min: Palace keeping possession here and looking to attack while Chelsea appear sluggish early.
46 min: And we’re off and running in the second half with Palace now attacking the Shed End at Stamford Bridge. Puncheon draws a foul early and the visitors will have an early free kick.
Half-time: Chelsea 0-0 Crystal Palace
It’s scoreless through 45 minutes and Chelsea have done well enough to keep possession and pop through for the occasional chance, but not enough to break down the visitors’ all-out defenses. A bit boring to be frank, but easily redeemable in the second half.
45 min: Fourth official announces there will be one minute of stoppage time as Chelsea probes the perimeter of the area with a series of short passes, but the whistle is blown for half-time before they can get a shot off.
43 min: Another shot for Chelsea albeit not nearly as dangerous as Matic uncoils one that’s easily saved by McCarthy, who’s been outstanding in this first half.
42 min: An incredibly acrobatic double save from McCarthy as Diego Costa comes agonizingly close to scoring for Chelsea, who are really smoking now. Palace would be lucky to get to half-time at 0-0.
41 min: Palace win another corner. They’ve been so dangerous in these situations with 16 goals from set pieces since Pardew became their manager – more than any other Premier League side in that period. Alas, this one is easily cleared.
39 min: Great chance for Chelsea there as Fabregas plays a diagonal cross into the box that just misses the foot of an onrushing Diego Costa and skids out for a goal kick.
36 min: That shot from Willian, who’s been all over the place today, is finally on target with a shot but it’s saved.
33 min: Excellent football here from Chelsea as for most of today’s match, but their shooting has been conspicuously off target. Just then it was Gary Cahill, vaguely Bane-like protective mask wrapped around his head, whose right-footed effort sails high and wide.
31 min: Chelsea back on the attack. Ivanovic plays a cross into the box in the general vicinity of Diego Costa but it’s cleared by Ward and Chelsea have won a corner.
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29 min: Palace attack quickly up the left flank and the ball finds Cabaye all alone at the top of the area with only the ball and Courtois between him and the goal. He strikes a shot essentially from point-blank range but Courtois makes the save! Best chance of the match by far and he really should have done better there.
27 min: Good spell of possession here by Palace, a string of at least 20 short passes and patiently building up, but ultimately the final pass into the box is deflected away.
24 min: Chelsea in control now, keeping the ball for long stretches. But now they’re dispossessed by Sako near midfield, who makes a 30-yard run downfield before his shot is turned away by Courtois for a corner. The corner is played into the box and falls to the foot of Cabaye, whose volley soars wide.
22 min: Chelsea win a free kick just outside the area to the right. Played short by Matic, who dishes to Willian, whose shot sails way above the crossbar.
21 min: The Chelsea corner is played into the box. Zouma is assaulted by Wickham and it’s not called by referee Craig Pawson! Alas. Getting quite cagey between these sides.
20 min: Diego Costa now with a marauding run into the box. He’s forced out but Chelsea have won a corner.
19 min: An incisive attack here and Chelsea moves that ball down the pitch with three key passes, falling into the area at the feet of Pedro, who uncorks a left-footed shot that just misses the target. Good chance, that.
16 min: More good passing from Chelsea here, who are really keeping it nicely, but can’t seem to crack the final third.
14 min: A shot here from Willian but it’s way off the mark high and wide.
12 min: The ball falls to Cesc Fabregas outside the box off a deflection. He takes one dribble then powers a right-footed shot that caroms off a defender but forces McCarthy to make a save. First shot on target for the Blues. Moments later Palace win a free kick but it’s cleared easily.
10 min: Chelsea keeping the ball here, stringing together a series of short passes outside the area: Willian to Hazard to Ivanovic to Diego Costa. But for all the probing they’re unable to break down the Palace defense and eventually they’re dispossessed and the visitors are on the attack again.
8 min: A good start for Crystal Palace here, who have been quite good away from home. No team has won more points away from home in the Premier League this calendar year (22, same as Chelsea and Arsenal).
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7 min: Wickham whistled for a foul on Pedro.
6 min: Now Palace has won another corner, but it’s mis-hit poorly, trickling short to Ivanovic and Chelsea are already halfway up the pitch on the counter-attack.
4 min: Eden Hazard wins a free kick but nothing comes of it. Pedro gets a shot on goal but it’s deflected away.
2 min: Palace win another corner and it’s half-cleared but then the offside flag goes up as it’s played back into the box. Charles from Ocean City, New Jersey emails to ask why the Palace players are wearing black armbands today. It’s a show of support for their Congolese winger, who lost his father this week and is on the bench today.
1 man: And we’re underway! Chelsea in the familiar all-blue home kits attacking right to left, Palace in all-white strips. And just like that Palace have won an early corner, but it’s easily cleared.
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Hello and welcome to Stamford Bridge for today’s match between Chelsea and Crystal Palace. Kick-off is minutes away so let’s keep the throat-clearing short. Here’s a look at today’s teams:
Chelsea: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Zouma, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Pedro, Willian, Hazard; Diego Costa
(Subs: Begovic, Baba, Mikel, Loftus-Cheek, Kenedy, Remy, Falcao)
Crystal Palace: McCarthy; Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare; McArthur, Cabaye; Zaha, Puncheon, Sako; Wickham
(Subs: Hennessey, Mariappa, Ledley, Bolasie, Mutch, Lee, Gayle)
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