Chelsea defeated Crystal Palace 3-1 in a Premier League match at Selhurst Park on January 25, 2026. This win propelled the Blues to fourth place in the standings. Meanwhile, Palace extended their winless run to 11 games and stayed in 15th position.
Early Exchanges Set the Tone
Both teams created chances from the start. Jean-Philippe Mateta burst through for Palace in the eighth minute after Benoit Badiashile’s error. However, Robert Sanchez saved Mateta’s one-on-one shot.
Chelsea responded quickly. Enzo Fernandez fired over from close range. Then, Moises Caicedo sliced a shot wide.
Chelsea Took the Lead
Estevao opened the scoring in the 34th minute. He capitalized on Jaydee Canvot’s under hit back pass. Estevao raced into the area and drilled the ball past Dean Henderson.
This goal marked Estevao’s first Premier League strike since October. Palace pushed back, but Ismaila Sarr clipped a shot past the post.
Second-Half Dominance
After the break, Chelsea extended their lead. Joao Pedro scored in the 50th minute after a clever interchange with Estevao. Pedro cut inside Adam Wharton and smashed the ball home.
Then in the 64th minute, referees awarded Chelsea a penalty after VAR reviewed Canvot’s handball on Pedro’s shot. Enzo Fernandez converted the spot-kick calmly.
Palace’s Setback and Late Response
Adam Wharton received a second yellow card for fouling Moises Caicedo. This left Palace with 10 men. Chelsea controlled the game afterward.
However, Palace scored a consolation goal in the 88th minute. Chris Richards headed in after Sanchez saved Jefferson Lerma’s effort.
Post-Match Reactions
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior praised his team. He said, “Very pleased. This is always a very difficult place to come. Crystal Palace are a very good team. What the players have given is outstanding.”
Rosenior added, “It’s frustrating to not have a clean sheet in the last few minutes – I wanted three in a row and we should’ve got one, we were 3-0 up against 10 men. But there’s so much good.”
Palace manager Oliver Glasner expressed disappointment. He stated, “Disappointing and frustrating. It looks like, right now, we are not good enough to win the game but we created our chances, we didn’t take them and then we made too many mistakes to give the opponents the chances and they took it.”
Glasner noted, “When you’ve not won in 10 games the nerves are very thin and then you are 1-0 down and the players are frustrated.”
This result highlighted Chelsea’s clinical finishing under Rosenior. Palace struggled with errors throughout the match.
