Four takeaways from Crystal Palace’s 1-0 loss to Chelsea – Eagles fail to create enough as two tough games set to determine Patrick Vieira’s season

A late strike from Hakim Ziyech saw Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea side steal all three points away from Selhurst Park and condemn Crystal Palace to their third Premier League home defeat in a row.

Here are Edmund Brack’s four takeaways from the Premier League encounter on Saturday.

CHELSEA WERE THERE FOR THE TAKING, BUT PALACE DIDN’T CAPITALISE

This Chelsea side were nowhere near their effervescent best. There wasn’t a relentless high press, the silky style of play or the clinical conviction that has blown the Eagles away against the Blues in recent match-ups.

The west Londoners were obviously feeling the effects of missing several key players through injury and the turnaround from their Club World Cup final victory last week in Abu Dhabi.

Wilfried Zaha had two shots that went just wide of Edouard Mendy’s goal in each half, and Michael Olise failed to put his early effort away.

But other than the half-chances, attempts from distance and Olise’s dead-ball expertise, Palace failed to register a single shot on target against a side who had their frailties waiting to be exposed.

There were moments and passages in the game – the start of the second half in particular – where Palace had Chelsea with the backs against the wall and praying they didn’t find a way through Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

In the end, Vieira’s naive 85th-minute substitution – bringing on Eberechi Eze for Jordan Ayew – cost Palace a point.

Marcos Alonso was allowed time and space on the right-hand side, something which Ayew would have been better suited to close down instead of the creative Eze, to float a cross towards Ziyech at the back post. The Moroccan duly slotted the winner past Jack Butland.

Of course, there was still a vast depth of nous, skill and world-class talent on the pitch for the Blues, but it was frustrating that Palace didn’t have the cunning desire or a game-winning plan to secure their first victory of 2022.

WAS THE STYLE OF PLAY THAT EXCITING?

After outlining in his pre-match press conference that he wanted to create a style of play on Saturday that brought the fans behind the team and excited them, Vieira’s game plan failed to capture my imagination in a similar way to the start of the campaign.

In the absence of Conor Gallagher, who was unable to play against his parent club, Vieira had to find a way of unlocking the creative spark behind the striker.

Playing Olise as the central component in the three behind Zaha worked for the first half – the 20-year-old was the main cause of concern for Chelsea.

But Roy Hodgson was heavily criticised for setting teams up not to concede during the end of his reign, and Palace’s only plus point was that they looked composed in defence – there was a bluntness to their attacking play.

When Thomas Tuchel made a triple substitution in the second half to change the game, the outcome looked inevitable.

Palace now only have two wins in their last 14 Premier League games and are spiralling towards a relegation fight. There is no hiding from it, these upcoming games against Watford and Burnley can set the mood and atmosphere around Selhurst Park for  Vieira and how his debut campaign at the club is remembered.

The chasing pack are closing in, and Palace are struggling to think of ideas to pull away.

KOUYATE AND McARTHUR STRIKE A BALANCE IN THE MIDDLE

A large part of Palace’s defensive structure and sturdiness came from James McArthur and Cheikhou Kouyate striking a balance and reigniting their partnership from their first start together since the 2-0 win against Wolves in early November.

Kouyate acted as the barrier just in front of Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen, while also displaying his ability to carry the ball away from danger and relieve the pressure on the defence.

And McArthur had the calmness and leadership qualities to help the side stay compact during periods of the game when Chelsea were on top.

McArthur made three interceptions, completed three clearances and finished his first 90 minutes since returning from injury.

The trio of Gallagher, McArthur and Kouyate were crucial in Palace’s early season success, and Vieira will be hoping their reunion will conjure up similar fortunes with two season-defining games on the horizon.

GUEHI AND ANDERSEN KEEP LUKAKU AT BAY

While Romelu Lukaku was lamented for only having seven touches at Selhurst Park on Saturday, the credit should go to Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen for keeping the Belgian international quiet and ineffective.

The Danish centre back Andersen completed four interceptions, won six clearances (a match-high), won the most aerial duals (three) and made the most passes (57) of any Palace player.

Guehi won 100 per cent of his ground duels (five) against Chelsea, which was the 15th match this season that he had not been dribbled past.

The pair are, without question, the best centre-back partnership Crystal Palace have had since the turn of the century.