Chelsea took a positive step to start the New Year with an emphatic 3-0 win against Crystal Palace earlier tonight.
Guus Hiddink was given an early headache when Eden Hazard limped off the field just after 15 minutes, among what was a very physical battle in the rain at Selhurst Park. Numerous fouls whenever the ball would get close to the 18-yard-box stemmed the game’s flow, yet rather against the early run of play, Chelsea would find the first breakthrough in the 29th minute when Diego Costa broke through the defence on the right-wing and setup an easy tap-in for Oscar.
After a bright start, which included a Wilfred Zaha strike in the opening minutes which tested Thibaut Courtois, the Eagles’ influence on the contest wore-off as the Blues held the slim advantage at halftime. Alan Pardew’s men would continue to be frustrated after the restart, as the visitors began to retreat into the defensive shell Chelsea are so infamous for.
Again coming at the blink of an eye Willian doubled the lead on the hour-mark, pouncing on a loose ball with a rocketing shot from just outside the box that the diving hands of Wayne Hennessey could not stop from hitting the top corner. The reigning champions sealed the points minutes later, Costa getting the last touch at the near-post on an incisive Willian pass across the face of goal.
Stability returning to derailed Chelsea
Chelsea took a little time to properly find their footing, but after taking a surprise lead their command over the match quickly shutdown any early momentum that the hosts had generated. Despite the early loss of Hazard, confidence was clear among the players and after Oscar tapped-in the opener, Hiddink’s first win since returning as caretaker never really looked in doubt.
The defensive four were at their suffocating best against an injury-hampered Palace attack, allowing for some great build-up straight through the middle of the pitch. Up front, Costa looked re-invigorated for the New Year and while his goal and an assist was deserved, his improved efforts, along with those of Oscar, Cesc Fabregas and Pedro are also allowing the continued brilliance of Willian to shine at full effect.
Diego Costa's record since Guus Hiddink took charge at Chelsea:
2 games
3 goals
1 assistMotivated. pic.twitter.com/5ySbur2weF
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 3, 2016
Holding-midfielders command in the rain
Strong figures were required to shutdown a quick moving ball in the London rain and there was plenty of fight in both teams, with a total of 24 fouls committed over the 90 minutes.
Hiddink raised eyebrows with his inclusion of John Obi Mikel in the starting XI ahead of Nemanja Matic, however, the club veteran showed that his experience is still invaluable. The 28-year-old marshalled on the left, distributing from the back with pinpoint accuracy and throwing his weight behind the ball to shutdown the occasional run of James McArthur or Joel Ward. His screening partner Fabregas also earned praise from the blue faithful, finally showing some of the work rate on the field which made him such an instrumental playmaker last season.
At the other end of the field, Alan Pardew was rewarded for the decision to hand Mile Jedinak a rare first team appearance. The Australian international’s frame was perfect for the contest against the likes of a fiery Costa and although his passing was lacking, he took the necessary foul for his team when a move forward through Willian or Oscar needed to be shutdown.
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Wearisome 2016 beginning for Pardew
Palace were one of the first to expose the early season weaknesses of the reigning champions with a 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge back in August, yet in the space of only six-months it is looking like a very different Selhurst Park outfit. One can only sympathise with Alan Pardew, who week-after-week now has seen his side struggle due to the same main issue – a lack of first-choice strikers. Frazier Campbell was invisible for the hour he spent on the field, with defender Damien Delaney taking the majority of the team’s recorded shots inside the 18-yard area.
An expected return by the next Premier League fixture for Dwight Gayle would not be more vital for Palace, who at the start of the New Year need to recapture a spark that could keep them in European contention.
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