January 25, (THEWILL) — Three different goalscorers lifted Chelsea to a 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday. The hosts finished with 10 men following Adam Wharton’s dismissal.
Jean-Philippe Mateta squandered an early opportunity when Robert Sanchez denied him in a one-on-one situation. Fernandez and Moises Caicedo also failed to convert good openings before Chelsea broke the deadlock.
Estevao struck in the 34th minute after capitalising on a dreadful back pass from Jaydee Canvot, beating Dean Henderson from close range. Five minutes after the interval, he teed up Joao Pedro, who cut inside Wharton and fired high past the goalkeeper to double the advantage.
Fernandez completed the scoring from the penalty spot after Darren England awarded a kick following a pitch-side review for handball against Canvot. Wharton then received his marching orders for a second bookable offence after catching Caicedo late.
Chris Richards headed home a late consolation for Palace moments after Sanchez had denied Jefferson Lerma with a fine stop. The defeat extended the Eagles’ winless run to 11 matches.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
