Two things we learned: Chelsea 3-1 Crystal Palace

Chelsea continued their bright vein of form in the Premier League as they registered a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Alvaro Morata was the pick of the players with a goal in either half while Pedro backed the third strike of the day for the Blues. Andros Townsend found the sole consolation for the away side between Morata’s efforts.

Two things we learned:

Alvaro Morata reviving his old form: The Spain international came for heavy criticism during the early part of the campaign after failing to make the most of the straight-forward chances up for grabs. However, over the past month, there has been some change to this statistic with five goals coming off just six appearances. Among those, two came during the London derby against Palace where the Spaniard’s confidence in terms of movement was quite visible. Blues boss Maurizio Sarri has swapped between Morata and Giroud for the frontline duties this campaign but the recent run of good form may cement the former’s position as the first-choice marksman for the Premier League.

Crystal Palace going through a tough phase: Roy Hodgson’s side appeared to have reversed their recent goalscoring woes after bagging a well-earned point in the recent stalemate against Arsenal. However, they looked far from the same team against Chelsea where they were defensively organised without much threat going forward. Palace did manage to score one of their two attempts on target but overall, they lacked the present of a Christian Benteke, who can keep the possession upfield with his good hold-up play. The south Londoners have now suffered seven defeats from their opening 11 matches and their upcoming challenges don’t get any easier with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United to face.

Image – Getty