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Key events
61 min “Totally agree with you about the demise of going round the keeper,” says Sunil Gossain. “What we tend to see now is the dink over the keeper. IMO it’s probably a combination of technically better players but also players being coached to do that.”
Back in the day, though, by which i mean, of course my day, so the 80s, the dink finish, known as the Peter Beardsley, was also widely used. My guess is it’s more a margin of error thing – the slot is less likely to make the striker look silly.
60 min “Like most people, I was doubtful that Chris Wood had another 20 goal season in him,” says Kári Tulinius, “but he’s already a tenth of the way there in this season’s first half of football. I can’t tell if he’s improved noticeably, or if his particular set of skills is uniquely suitable to the moment. Perhaps football is a striker’s game again.”
He’s being used well, in a side that’s functioning exactly as its manager wants it to. Everything is in place for him to succeed, and his contribution to that is also bang-on.
59 min Palmer curls into the wall … into Richards’ phizog to be precise … and Palace clear, then the defender accepts treatment.
57 min Marc Geuhi is the first, but really, he makes himself look silly, allowing Estevao to bundle through then away from him after the tackle looks good enough. The cross isn’t bad either, whacked at Neto, who can’t quite cushion his header well enough to bother Henderson. But Chelsea maintain pressure winning a free-kick 23 yards out, just right of centre. James and Palmer are behind it…
55 min Caicedo dashes away from Mateta, who stretches and treads on his foot. Mateta, remember, has also been booked, and though that wasn’t a deliberate foul, it wasn’t far off another card.
55 min On Gittens, by the way, what am I missing? We all have players who we know are good but never seem to be when we see them, and he’s one of those for me: I’ve heard about the talent and I can see signs of it, but I’ve never seen him play really well.
54 min It’s Gittens, Estevao coming on, and it’s still amazing how young and scrawny he looks. I can’t wait to see him make colossal, much older men look silly.
53 min Estevao has been warming up. I imagine we’ll see him soon, with Gittens or Neto making way; Gittens has been livelier but Neto is the senior man. Meantime, Palmer wallops a low cross that Henderson dives to palm away.
52 min Palace spread left to Mitchell, whose instacross is kicked into touch. So far, the pattern of the game – Chelsea huffing and Palace springing – remains the same.
50 min “First, you can referee by the spirit of the game as that’s written into the laws,” reckons Norrie Hernon. “‘Law 5 (The Referee), means referees should make decisions based on common sense and the overall fairness of the match, even if a strict interpretation of the laws might be possible’. The main point is that rather than hiding behind esoteric laws from 2019 no one has heard of, but rather when it’s been applied in the last six years, and why apply it now?”
The law is the law and its esotericism – I’ve not a clue what makes one that – is not relevant. Refs can’t simply ignore things if someone scores a nice goal.
49 min Caicedo controls a ball beautifully, running into it as it drops and weaving away from his man, then past Hughes, who hauls him back; he’s booked, as he knew he would be.
46 min “Even the VAR didn’t say it was a foul,” says Adeem Sadiq, “but your first reaction was to tell it was a clear foul and right call. Are we going to be gaslit like that throughout the season? The new directives are silly, and no actual fan wants more disallowed goals.”
Gaslit! I thought it was a foul, I’ve seen it again, I think it’s a foul. I’m not totally sure what constitutes an “actual fan”, but believe it’s generally considered fair, just and reasonable for the laws of the game to be applied. On the other hand, Chris Sutton said roughly what you did, so.
46 min We go again…
Half-time email: “‘I don’t see a player, bar Cole Palmer, good enough to win them games they might otherwise draw or lose,’” says Chris Wright, quoting me back to myself. “Can’t argue with that logic.”
Well yes, as I said prior to, there are other teams who have more than that – and, as I also said, I’m not certain abut Palmer’s ability to do that regularly under Maresca.
#CHECRY – 13’ VAR OVERTURN
After VAR review, the referee overturned the original decision of goal to Crystal Palace.
Referee announcement: “After review, away number six is less than one metre away from the wall as the shot is taken. Therefore, it’s an indirect free kick and a…
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) August 17, 2025
And a game from 1970…
Bit of news for your half-time reading:
HALF-TIME: Chelsea 0-0 Crystal Palace
The chat will be about the disallowed goal, but the law is clear on the point, however much we enjoy brilliant players scoring brilliant goals.
45+4 min Sanchez comes for a cross, maybe gets knuckles on it, and also punches Guehi in the head. Palace want a penalty, the ref and VAR say naw, and though I get the appeal, that feels like the correct call. There was no danger in the situation, not much contact, and no one should get an 80% chance of a goal for that
46+3 min Yeah, Forest are at it and Brentford are not: Chris Wood has put the home side 3-0 up. Not the greatest first half of a managerial career we’ve ever seen, and Keith Andrews will be feeling poorly in the extreme. Also, Wood’s second goal came by way of rounding the keeper; we used to see that a lot and no see it hardly ever, anyone any theories as to why?
46+2 min Richards does pretty well to get a head on Neto’s volleyed cross and, though the ball eventually drops to Palmer, who volleys, the shot is blocked at source.
45 min We’ll have five additional minutes; at the City Ground, Dan Ndoye has put Forest 2-0 up against Brentford. On which point, i fear fore them, and if I supported a promoted side, they’re one I’d be looking to to allow mine to stay up.
44 min One of the things Chelsea lack, I think, is an astute passer in midfield – and we’re seeing that writ large through the performance so far of Wharton. I wouldn’t say he’s controlling the game, but a significant chunk of the best stuff we’ve seen in it has come because his sharp passing creates an environment for it.
42 min “Happy season’s beginnings!” opens Russell Yong. “I think the thing with Chelsea is this team have been in far too much flux to allow for an effective judgment. Look at today’s team, for example: including subs, only three players (Fofana, James and Chalobah) were even here three years ago. Literally half of them were bought in 2023 and 2024, and six (Delap, Gittens, Joao Pedro, Hato, Estevao, Essugo) in 2025, plus two more youth-teamers. That’s a whole new team over the last two years, and half a new team again this summer. Last season encapsulated the turbulence; it took most of the season to play into any sort of coherence and form, by which point it was too late to catch up and really influence the title. The hopeful signs are that, looking at today’s team, Maresca still largely trusts the core that finished last season so strongly and won the CWC. There are six new signings, but only two actually starting. It might portend a more stable team, one that knows who its best players and their best positions are, improvements made on those who most needed improving (Gittens over Madueke? Pedro over Jackson?). With games spread across four competitions and coming thick and fast most of the season, everyone will get minutes and there will be less pressure on players like Lavia to be rushed back unless there’s an injury crisis. I’m not a Chelsea fan, but I like their players and there’s a deep fascination in seeing how this team might shape up.”
I agree they’ve plenty of good players, but I still look at their team and see a lack of top quality as well as a missing part or two. We’ll see how it goes, but I’d back Liverpool, City and Arsenal to all finish above them, probably by a bit.
40 min James tosses in and Munoz heads out. Palace’s back three – or five – defend the box so well, and by sitting relativrly deep give their midfield space to build the play. So far, they look to have a much better idea of what they’re doing than Chelsea.
39 min Eze curls in but no one can touch it home – and Lacroix was probably offside.
38 min There’s a lack of precision in Chelsea’s passing, which it’s hard not to ascribe to the lack of precise passers in their team; who do they have to set a tempo? Meantime. Eze megs James, already cautioned and already committed to the tackle; the foul is inevitable and so too is the final warning the ref seems to administer. Free-kick Palace, left touchline, 25 yards out.
36 min We’ve barely seen Cole Palmer so far – but of course we also know he can appear into a game out of nothing, refocus it to be all about him, settle it, then disappear again.
34 min “I don’t think anyone sees Eze as the second coming of Harry Kane,” writes Ron Stack, “but I’d like to see Spurs put a good team together without a superstar up front. I think Frank did well managing Brentford as a collective and I’d be happy to see him do the same at Spurs.
In any case, I’m still convinced that Levy’s strategy is to play for third or fourth. The step up to first or second is very expensive and risky, and Champions League brings in plenty of revenue even without a trophy.”
Definitely – Levy, like the Glazers, is in this for the money not the glory, and the amount you have to speculate to push for the title is not part of the plan. The problem he has is that there are now so many teams with Champions League ambitions and budgets it’s impossible to see how Sopurs break into it – which is, if i was Eze, I’d think about staying at Palace, though I think Frank is a really good appointment.
33 min Gittens does well in defence, winning a challenge then proceeding into another, where he’s caught by Mateta … who’s booked. That looked a little harsh.
31 min The corner causes minor consternation, a curler from Gittens deflected by Guehi, who can’t sort feet out to clear, and the ball arrives at Chalobah, who can’t sort feet out to shoot, instead humping over the top – I think with the aid of a deflection, but the ref gives a goalkick.
30 min Gittens pulls wide and flicks into the box for Pedro, who holds up briefly, then Caicdeo stomps on to the loose ball on the edge, his shot deflected behind for a corner.
28 min Cucurella ducks to win a header and Munoz piles through him. That must be an extremely unpleasant sensation akin to being tickled by a truck, and the Palace man is booked.
27 min Chelsea are really struggling to get hold of the ball in midfield. So far, Wharton has been far more influential than Caicedo and Fernandez and really, it’s great but surprising he’s still at Palace. After the last Euros, I was told he was the player that members of the England squad would be telling their managers they had to buy, but he looks set for a second season since then enjoying the Selhurst vibe.
25 min A long ball frees Neto who has Pedro in the middle, but he’s double-teamed before he can square – really, he’s too slow to – and wins a corner instead. In comes to nothing.
25 min James is booked for a foul out on the right touchline and Palce take it short for Eze, who hits a speculative long-ranger straight at Sanchez.
23 min I’ve amended the goal disallowed entry, but for those not checking below, the infringement wasn’t the shove but that Guehi was too close to the wall. Decisions are now being explained over the stadium PA but I didn’t quite hear what was said.
21 min I knew I’d see something like the Eze goal before, and this is where. Lee Glover got away with it that day and we all coped, but the officials were rousted at half-time if i remember correctly.
19 min Better from Wharton – Palace are the better side now – taking the ball, lending it out, receiving it back, and guiding a terrific pass in behind for Mateta, whose first touch takes him into the box and he’s in! But he can’t quite get it out of his feet so must shoot from around him, lashing straight at Sanchez, who blocks to safety.
17 min “Thank God for VAR,” reckons Niall Mullen. “That sort of shocking injustice is exactly why it was introduced in the first place.”
Now this is a different argument. I’d not have introduced VAR in the first place, and would scrap it in a second, but that was still a foul.
16 min I’m not remotely surprised Chris Sutton thinks it was a foul “by the letter of the law” but also that the goal should’ve stood. We can’t run the game according to aesthetics and buzz, I’m afraid.
NO GOAL! Chelsea 0-0 Crystal Palace
It is a shove from Geuhi and if we’re being honest, we can say that yes, brilliant finish, and also yes, it feels wrong to disallow a goal for that. But it’s still a foul, so what choice did the officials have? Oh, but actually the goal was disallowed because Guehi was too close to the Chelsea wall. On that basis, there’s nothing else to say.
VAR wants a look at Guehi’s involvement…
WHAT A GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Crystal Palace (Eze 13)
AND THERE IT IS! You could tell by the way he lined it up that he wasn’t bothering with the frippery of finesse and he wasn’t, Guehi helping lever Cucurella away and the ball absolutely assaulted through the gap. It’s almost straight at Sanchez who, unsighted, can’t quite shovel it away.
13 min I say deft, but there’s a also a foot-through possibility…
