Alvaro Morata Scores Twice in Chelsea's Premier League Win vs. Crystal Palace

Chelsea climbed to second in the Premier League on Sunday after they defeated Crystal Palace 3-1 at Stamford Bridge.

Alvaro Morata scored twice in a match for just the second time in his Chelsea career, firing in the breakthrough before Eden Hazard came on from the bench to set up his second. Andros Townsend hit an equaliser soon after the break, but Pedro sealed the result by converting Chelsea's third.

Maurizio Sarri's men are still two points off leaders Manchester City, who demolished Southampton 6-1 earlier on Sunday.

Morata Still Deserves to be Doubted

Rude as it may be to ask more of a striker after he's just scored a match-winning double, it would also be naive to believe Morata couldn't have scored three or four with a different performance.

He at least looks to have eased the pressure in Chelsea's striker race, and the starting berth appears to be his ahead of Olivier Giroud. 

Sarri will take special satisfaction in seeing his frontman benefit from the confidence he's shown in his ability, and Morata's first on Sunday broke an important duck, per Sky Sports Statto:

More than a year after netting his only other brace for Chelsea—a hat-trick against Stoke City in September 2017—the Spaniard was back in the multiple goals on Sunday, and deservedly so.

There were missed chances and a couple of wayward headers before he added a second to his name, laid on a plate for the striker by substitute Eden Hazard, via NBC Sports (U.S. only):

Not least of those missed chances was the gaping one-on-one opportunity against Wayne Hennessey in the dying seconds of the match, a feeble scoop attempt clawed in by the Wales goalkeeper.

Yet the level of opposition Morata has scored against hasn't been much to write home about. Palace had failed to win in five prior to Sunday's trip to west London and had conceded in the last four of those results.

Morata's other recent strikes in the league came against Southampton and Burnley, whom Chelsea beat 3-0 and 4-0, respectively. He failed to find the back of the net against Manchester United, the only elite side Chelsea have faced in the league in recent weeks, and had just two shots in 79 minutes (one on target).

Nevertheless, the Stamford Bridge faithful showed support for their frontman after he resumed pace in the goal hunt Sunday, per author Mark Worrall:

Goal's Nizaar Kinsella was fair in his assessment of Morata, who is still recovering from both physical and mental struggles:

He hit the ground running at Chelsea in 2017 but was hit hard when he lost a bit of form. Morata spoke to the Mirror (h/t Marca) in August and touched on the symptoms he suffered that he felt were similar to depression.

It would be fair to assume Sarri's influence and belief in the player has been crucial to restoring his talent and the potential he could now recapture. Mundial agreed Morata is a better player when he has the backing of those around him:

The real tests are to come, though. Before the end of November, Chelsea will face Evertonand Tottenham in the Premier League, not to mention UEFA Europa League fixtures against BATE Borisov and PAOK.

Scoring in routs of foes like Palace is great for confidence, but Morata is still to face the real pressure outings to come, when his position in the XI will again be questioned if he fails to perform.

What's Next?

Chelsea's focus turns towards the UEFA Europa League on Thursday as they travel to Belarus to face BATE Borisov. Crystal Palace are now without a win in their last six matches and face the daunting prospect of hosting fourth-place Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.