London, UK – Chelsea began their new Premier League season with a frustrating 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge, despite dominating possession and creating numerous scoring opportunities in the second half.
Manager Enzo Maresca’s side struggled to break through a determined Palace defence, with key chances falling to new signings like Liam Delap and Estevao, who failed to convert. The result means Chelsea have dropped two crucial points at the start of their campaign.
Crystal Palace were also denied a late winner after a VAR check ruled out a goal from a free-kick by Eberechi Eze. The goal was disallowed after VAR determined that Marc Guehi was offside and had interfered with play.
Speaking after the match, Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez acknowledged the result was not what the team wanted. He cited a short pre-season, due to the Club World Cup, as a possible reason for the team’s struggles. “We had two weeks of a quick pre-season… we feel the fatigue,” Sánchez said. “But the boys showed up and we kept the clean sheet. We take the clean sheet and we move on.”
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