Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Diego Costa fired Chelsea to an 11th straight Premier League win and a nine-point lead at the top of the table on Saturday lunchtime, as they beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at Selhurst Park. 

Two minutes before the end of a forgettable first period, the forward’s pinpoint header gave the visitors the advantage. After the break, the Blues spurned numerous chances to extend their advantage, with a Marcos Alonso free-kick, which crashed off the crossbar, the closest they came to scoring again.

The loss left Palace looking nervously over their shoulder; they're just three points clear of the relegation zone ahead of the rest of the matchday's fixtures.

As a winter fog engulfed Selhurst Park, the visitors struggled to find their groove in the early stages of the contest.

Palace sat deep in an attempt to contain the league leaders, and for the vast majority of the first half, it was a tactic that worked well. The main incident of the opening exchanges saw Costa pick up a booking that rules him out of the Blues’ Boxing Day clash with Bournemouth.

Per Liam Twomey of ESPN FC, given the importance of the game, both sides seemed wary about what the other could offer:

The Eagles wasted the best chance of the first period, as Jason Puncheon fluffed a shot wide in space from the edge of the box. But as referee Jon Moss geared up to call time on a poor first half, Costa struck.

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The striker owed a huge debt to Cesar Azpilicueta, who surged forward from defence and lofted a brilliant ball beyond the Palace back line. Costa met it superbly to head home his 13th goal of the Premier League season and give Chelsea a big boost before the break.

Per OptaJoe, the in-form striker has already bettered his goal tally from last term:

Having acquitted themselves well for the first period, all eyes were on Palace to see how they’d fare at the start of the second. There was early intent from the hosts, as Yohan Cabaye's stinging shot was palmed away by Thibaut Courtois.

N'Golo Kante returned the favour at the other end, as Wayne Hennessey was on hand to keep his effort out. That was before the Chelsea midfielder picked up a booking, meaning he'll sit the Bournemouth clash out alongside Costa.

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Palace were building momentum midway through the second half, and Chelsea manager Antonio Conte introduced Cesc Fabregas in an attempt to add some calm to the contest. The Spain international quickly had a chance to double his team's lead, but he fired straight at Hennessey from the edge of the box.

Still, his introduction gave Chelsea a foothold in the game again, with Fabregas picking clever passes on the break. At the end of two fine counters, Kante and then Alonso saw efforts well-stopped by the Palace 'keeper.

Kartik Krishnaiyer paid tribute to Fabregas for the impact he had after entering the game:

The Blues were suddenly looking a huge threat on the break as Palace committed players in search of an equaliser. Alonso continued to show his attacking potency, as his swirling free-kick rattled the bar late on.

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Palace flung men forward as the clock ticked down, but Chelsea were able to see out the remaining minutes comfortably and ease their way to a nine-point advantage at the top of the table.

As we can see, courtesy of the Chelsea Twitter account, the win meant a lot to the Blues boss:

Having been in such splendid form this season, there’s no doubt Costa and Kante will be missed for the match against the Cherries. However, during what is a congested period of the season, perhaps it’s not the worst game to sit out for both men.

With Manchester City and Arsenal facing one another on Sunday and Liverpool travelling to Everton for the Merseyside derby on Monday, the Blues can sit back, knowing their job is done. Conte's men look at ease with being league leaders and are setting an ominous pace for the chasing pack to keep up with.

Post-Match Reaction

Afterward, Azpilicueta spoke about how important the win was and how he’s adapting to a new role at centre-back.

"A massive three points for us," the Spain international said, per BBC Sport. "It is a new position for me, but since we have changed the formation, we have worked on it every week. I am really happy with the win and the table."

Palace defender Scott Dann felt as though the Eagles deserved something from the match. "We showed togetherness and commitment, and if we continue that, we will start picking up points," he said, per BBC Sport. "We more than matched them for the majority of the game, but they showed their quality for the goal."