Chelsea substitute Noni Madueke’s penalty secured a third consecutive Stamford Bridge victory for Mauricio Pochettino’s side. Madueke converted the winning spot-kick in the 89th minute to help the Blues to a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace. Here are five things Express Sport learned.
Jackson left red-faced
This might be the game that convinces Chelsea to sign a striker in January. Nicolas Jackson still looks a level below the Premier League’s elite and endured another frustrating night at Stamford Bridge.
Having misplaced a few relatively simple first-half passes, groans were audible around the stadium. The 22-year-old missed a one-on-one midway through the second period and then had a goal ruled out for offside.
Jackson should not have strayed offside before tapping home a right-wing cross. His blushes were spared by Madueke’s 88th-minute penalty.
Nkunku the missing piece of Pochettino’s jigsaw
There was a sense that Chelsea’s season finally started when Christopher Nkunku made a scoring Premier League debut against Wolves on Christmas Eve. The Frenchman had missed the entire season with a knee injury but has now impressed in consecutive appearances.
Nkunku played the pass to Malo Gusto that led to Mykhaylo Mudryk’s opening goal. Playing in a No 10 position, the former RB Leipzig star added some much-needed creativity to Pochettino’s side.
Making his first start in the youngest team Chelsea have ever put out in a Premier League fixture, the 26-year-old Nkunku used his relative experience to guide a young forward line. The more he adapts to the English top-flight, the more Nkunku will prove an extremely valuable purchase.
Mudryk shines but injury problems mount
The jury remains out on whether Chelsea will get their money’s worth on the £88m Mudryk. It is a year since the Stamford Bridge hierarchy launched an ambitious operation to hijack Arsenal’s pursuit of the Ukrainian.
Mudryk tapped home Gusto’s cut-back and enjoyed a positive first 45 minutes. A couple of clever touches saw him link up well with Nkunku – something that will delight Chelsea fans.
But a second-half injury will frustrate Pochettino, who thought he was finally getting his key stars back to full fitness. The winger hobbled off with what seemed a painful knock.
Transfer failure comes back to haunt Chelsea
Chelsea spent over £405m on 12 summer signings but one deal they failed to make came back to haunt them against Palace. The Blues believed they had agreed a move to sign Michael Olise in August after triggering the France U21 starlet’s release clause.
Olise, though, opted to remain at Palace and signed a new contract. He struck the equaliser at Stamford Bridge with a stunning goal.
Bringing down Jordan Ayew’s lofted cross on his chest, the 21-year-old half-volleyed the ball into the bottom corner and celebrated by placing his finger to his lips. Given the inconsistency of Mudryk, Chelsea might have hoped they had added Olise to their ranks.
Referee shows wrong card
In a fairly tepid affair, referee Michael Salisbury produced a slightly toe-curling moment in the second half. Having watched Chris Richards prevent a promising attack, Salisbury went to produce the mandatory yellow card – only to accidentally brandish red.
Laughing at his error, Salisbury quickly realised he had shown the wrong card and produced a yellow instead.
