In a well-played game at Stamford Bridge on a sunny afternoon, Chelsea gave their young star Stephen his debut against Crystal Palace. However, both teams failed to take advantage of the chances they created and the match ended in a goalless draw in London, unlike the other matches that took place over the weekend.
Early on in the match, Crystal Palace tried to exploit their strength in set-pieces and almost opened the scoring with a great goal from Eze, but the VAR flagged up interference from Guéhi at the wall and disallowed the goal, much to the luck of Robert Sánchez, a goalkeeper who is already being challenged again by the fans due to his inconsistency and lack of security for the defensive system.
Adam Wharton and Sarr were other key figures in the match and led Palace's attacking actions throughout the first half, while Chelsea sought to control the game through possession and sustained play. However, Enzo Maresca's side had a lot of problems keeping the game together due to their opponents' physical strength.
Estêvão made an impact during the second half
Unlike in the first half, Chelsea were able to increase their pressure in the second half and remained on the attacking field for longer, thanks mainly to the addition of Estêvão in place of Byone-Gittens, who was a bit of a handful in terms of performance. The Brazilian, who played in the Club World Cup for Palmeiras, got on the end of Guéhi's pass, leaving the defender behind, but the defense cleared the cross that reached Pedro Neto.
After raising his arms to make the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge more agitated, Estêvão had his great chance in the 65th minute when he had the ball in the box, but the Brazilian couldn't get to grips with it. Pedro Neto even asked for the ball to shoot, but the young Brazilian shot left-footed and over the goal.
In stoppage time, Andrey Santos missed a huge goal-scoring opportunity after receiving a ball from Cucurella in the box, but his left-footed shot also sailed over the target. Even with chances for both teams, a lack of efficiency was the determining factor in the draw.