Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

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Diego Costa fired Chelsea to an 11th straight Premier League win and a nine-point lead at the top of the table on Saturday lunchtime, as they beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at Selhurst Park. 

Two minutes before the end of a forgettable first period, the forward’s pinpoint header gave the visitors the advantage. After the break, the Blues spurned numerous chances to extend their advantage, with Marcos Alonso’s free-kick, which crashed off the crossbar, the closest they came to scoring again.

The loss leaves Palace looking nervously over their shoulder; they’re just three points clear of the relegation zone with a full round of fixtures remaining this weekend.

As a winter fog engulfed Selhurst Park, the visitors really struggled to find their groove in the early stages of the contest.

Palace sat deep in an attempt to contain the league leaders, and for the vast majority of the first half it was a tactic that worked well. Indeed, the main incident of the opening exchanges saw Costa pick up a booking that’ll rule him out of the Blues’ Boxing Day clash with Bournemouth.

Per Liam Twomey of ESPN FC, given the importance of the game, both sides seemed wary about what the other could offer:

Lots of fouls ensuring this game hasn’t yet found a rhythm. Both teams concerned about the threat of the other in transition #cfc #cpfc

— Liam Twomey (@liam_twomey) December 17, 2016

It was Palace who spurned the best chance of the first period, as Jason Puncheon fluffed a shot wide in space from the edge of the box. But as referee Jon Moss geared up to call time on a poor first half, Costa struck.

The striker owed a huge debt to Cesar Azpilicueta, who surged forward from defence and lofted a brilliant ball beyond the Palace back line. Costa met it superbly to head home his 13th goal of the Premier League season and give Chelsea a big boost before the break.

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com

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