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Crystal Palace notched up a well-earned 2-1 win over Chelsea in their Premier League encounter at Stamford Bridge, in what was only the Blues’ second loss at home in the league under Jose Mourinho.
The Eagles went ahead in the 65th minute when Bakary Sako scored following a Yannick Bolasie cross, with Cesar Azpilicueta failing to stop him despite making a sliding challenge on him.
The Blues did manage to draw level through Radamel Falcao, with the Colombian scoring his first goal for Chelsea with a diving header following a cross from Pedro. However, Alan Pardew’s side soon restored their one goal advantage in the game, with Joel Ward scoring from a header following a good ball by Sako.
Here are the player ratings from the game...
Also read: The match report
Chelsea:
Thibaut Courtois – 6/10
Was helpless to stop either of the goals that were scored against him. Did pull off a couple of good saves in the game, though, most notably in the first half, but was not protected well by his defenders later on in the game.
Branislav Ivanovic – 4/10
Another disappointing display by the Serb, who was one of the standout players for the Blues in their title winning campaign last season. He failed to handle Wilfried Zaha, and things became worse for him following the introduction of Yannick Bolasie, with the Congolese ace penetrating the Blues’ defence time and again from his end. Offensively, the player was far from being an asset to his side
Gary Cahill – 5/10
A mediocre performance by the Englishman, who certainly looked helpless at times without veteran John Terry by his side. Struggled against Connor Wickham and Bakary Sako at times.
Kurt Zouma – 6/10
Showed a bit of promise in his performance for the west Londoners, but lacks the experience to do well in the English top flight. Had a penalty appeal turned down in the first half following a tackle by Connor Wickham.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 4/10
A costly mistake during his sliding tackle led to his side conceding the first goal of the match, which set the tone for the match. Did manage a few tackles early on in the game, and was decent against Jason Puncheon; however, he failed to be much of an asset in attack and was substituted by the boss in the second half.
Nemanja Matic – 5/10
Did go forward on one occasion early in the game, but failed to pressure Alex McCarthy with his effort. Additionally, he did make a few important tackles to shield his side’s defence line in the match. Was otherwise average in his performance, and certainly a shadow of his former impressive self of the last season.
Cesc Fabregas – 6/10
The Spaniard had a good chance to put his side ahead in the latter stages of the first half, but he failed to make the most out of that. Also, the former Arsenal and Barcelona man lacked creativity in his display, which has been a problem for him for quite a while now.
Nevertheless, the player did give rise to the chance that led to Radamel Falcao’s goal with a good pass to Pedro on the wing.
Pedro – 7/10
A good performance for the Blues’ star signing once again, with the former Barcelona ace getting an assist in the latter stages of the match for Radamel Falcao’s debut goal for the side, which in turn provided Chelsea with hope of salvaging something out of the game.
Willian – 5/10
Showcased his high work rate yet again; however, apart from that he wasn’t really able to create anything substantial with his efforts and was eventually taken off.
Eden Hazard – 6/10
The Belgian failed to create ample space for himself in the game, which may have helped him in finding a crucial goal for his side. Skied one of his attempts. Additionally, despite working hard, he failed to be a threat to his opponents’ defence.
Diego Costa – 5/10
The Spaniard’s most significant contribution may have been the penalty appeal by him, which was eventually turned down by the ref. Did cause some problems with his physical presence, but lacked in his finishing for once.
Substitutes:
Radamel Falcao – 8/10
Did really well to score his first competitive goal for the Blues, and that too from a wonderful diving effort, during his cameo. However, was unlucky to fail to help his side with that, with the west Londoners conceding yet again only moments later.
Kenedy – 5/10
Was decent enough for the Blues, coming on as a replacement for Cesar Azpilicueta in the 68th minute.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 4/10
Could not have much of an impact on the game, coming on for Matic in the 73rd minute.
Crystal Palace:
Alex McCarthy – 8/10
Joel Ward – 8/10
Scott Dann – 7/10
Damien Delaney – 7/10
Pape Souare - 7/10
James McArthur – 6/10
Yohan Cabaye – 6/10
Wilfried Zaha – 6/10
Jason Puncheon – 5/10
Bakary Sako – 9/10
Connor Wickham – 5/10
Substitutes:
Yannick Bolasie – 8/10
Joe Ledley – N/A
Lee Chung-yong – N/A
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