Conor Gallagher scored twice as Chelsea came from behind to win at Selhurst Park and increase the pressure on Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson.
The Blues dominated the opening period of the match but it was Palace who took the lead, with Jefferson Lerma picking up the ball on the edge of the area and rifling the ball into the top corner in the 30th minute.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side could not muster a shot until the 45th minute as Palace tried to frustrate their opponents and pick up a much-needed win to widen the five-point gap to the relegation zone.
However, it took just two minutes of the second half for the visitors to level as Malo Gusto’s bouncing cross was met by Gallagher – who was on loan at Palace in 2021-22 – and he smashed the ball past Dean Henderson.
Chelsea continued to push for a winner and Gallagher secured it in stoppage time with a neat first-time finish, before Enzo Fernandez added a composed finish at the near post to help lift his side to 10th in the table.
Gallagher takes centre stage against former club
Chelsea came into this match on the back of an impressive FA Cup win at Aston Villa and made only the one enforced change with centre-back Thiago Silva coming in for the injured Benoit Badiashile.
The visitors struggled to break down Palace in the first half despite dominating possession and completing 420 passes, the most in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League game without having a shot on target since the 2003-04 season.
Pochettino’s side have struggled to penetrate teams that have defended in a low block this season and found it hard to find ways through Hodgson’s stubborn side.
The Chelsea manager made changes at half-time and with Christopher Nkunku coming on and Cole Palmer moving out to the right they seemed to be more fluent in attack.
It was Palmer who slid in a cross from wide to set up Gallagher’s second, an excellent, drilled finish into the bottom corner.
The England midfielder has three goals in two games after scoring in the cup at Villa, and will hope that his first league goals of the season kickstart a run of form for him and his team.
Chelsea travel to Manchester City on Saturday before taking on Liverpool in the EFL Cup final and Leeds in the FA Cup, in what will be a crucial two weeks of their season.
