Mateta strikes late as Palace deny Chelsea victory

Chelsea’s winless Premier League run has been extended to four games after Jean-Philippe Mateta struck late to salvage a draw for Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

The Blues ended 2024 in disappointing fashion – losing successive matches and failing to win in three – and that problematic form has been carried over into 2025.

Cole Palmer got Chelsea off to the perfect start after 14 minutes, scoring his 13th goal in the league after some fine work from Jadon Sancho.

Chelsea pressed for further goals but Nicolas Jackson spurned three chances while Sancho, Moises Caicedo and Josh Acheampong shot wide.

Palace did not muster an effort on target until the 35th minute with Jefferson Lerma’s shot comfortably collected by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

Despite dominating throughout the first half, Chelsea were almost made to pay for their inability to grab a second when Eberechi Eze shot narrowly wide shortly after the restart.

That was a sign that the game would become more evenly fought with Palace starting to ask questions of a stuttering Chelsea.

The Blues still had further chances to shut out their opponents, however Jackson, Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez all fired wide.

Palace got the equaliser with just under 10 minutes to play when Mateta met Eze’s square ball to tap in from a couple of yards.

The Eagles are now unbeaten in three league games and sit 15th, while Chelsea stay fourth.

Palace’s season was encapsulated by this encounter at Selhurst Park – inconsistent.

The Eagles have not been able to build momentum through the first half of the campaign, picking up just 20 points from 19 outings.

A lacklustre first half when Palace barely laid a glove on Chelsea was cancelled out by a much-improved performance in the second period.

Palace rarely threatened Sanchez’s goal before the break, but showed more courage to get into Chelsea’s final third with regularity in the second half.

Scoring goals still remains a major concern for Oliver Glasner’s side – only Everton, Ipswich and Southampton have scored fewer than their tally of 21 – but their ability to stick around in games cannot be overlooked.

Mateta was presented with a gift in the 82nd minute when Eze slid the ball across goal for the Frenchman to convert past Sanchez from six yards.

The draw means Palace are still looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone, sitting just six points clear of the bottom three, but offers hope that the new year could bring the consistency and momentum they have been searching for.

Just a matter of weeks ago Chelsea were riding a 12-game unbeaten run across all competitions and being spoken about as potential challengers to Liverpool in the Premier League title race.

Fast forward to today and the Blues have failed to win in three, losing their last two games of 2024, and are struggling to score.

Just Liverpool and Tottenham have a better goalscoring record than Chelsea with 39, but they have only registered twice in their past four outings.

After Palmer grabbed his 13th goal of the season, Chelsea looked firmly in the driving seat and should have put the game to bed before half-time.

Jackson could have had a hat-trick but lacked a clinical touch when it mattered.

Chelsea failed to hit the target with any of their six shots in the second half and eventually came unstuck.

A nine-point gap to Liverpool, who also have a game in hand, now looks insurmountable and Chelsea’s focus will likely turn to holding on to a top-four spot.