How would you prepare for a match against the Champions of England after not scoring in the first seven Premier League games and conceding 17 goals? It was supposed to be a win for Chelsea and a good comeback after the international break and the defeat against title rivals Manchester City at the end of September. crystal palace produced the shock of the day after the team managed by Roy Hodgson won 2-1 against Chelsea and earned the first three points after humiliating defeats in the past games of the season. Zaha scored the winning goal after 90 minutes that made us realise that Chelsea cannot perform at the same level without Morata and Kante.

Azpilicueta and Zaha - the goalscorers of Palace

Antonio Conte decided to replace Morata and Kante with Batshuayi and Bakayoko whereas Roy Hodgson couldn't use Benteke or Loftus-Cheek. But underestimating a team with Sakho, Townsend, Cabaye and Zaha seemed to be a big mistake for Chelsea. So what didn't happen in 630 minutes before this game, took place in the 11th minute of the match when Azpilicueta was at the end of an unfortunate deflection after Cabaye's attempt to shot. The Spanish player became the first player to score for Palace and the London derby was on fire.

As The Guardian highlights, the happiness of Zaha & Co lasted seven minutes, when Bakayoko converted a perfect cross from a corner kick and placed the ball in the back of the net after an accurate header. The midfielder who replaced Kante was preferred by Conte in the first eleven, as the Italian manager could have picked the young 19-year old prodigy, Kyle Scott.

The match started to be played at both goals as Zaha and Batshuayi missed golden chances to score.

It was Fabregas who went inches away as his free-kick from the edge of the penalty box was a bit too high. Just before the end of the first half, Christensen and Azpilicueta were humiliated by Zaha as the striker went in the box and chipped the ball as a pure finisher to make it 2-1 for Palace. Chelsea was desperate to equalise and Fabregas struck the crossbar in the 51st minute.

Although Conte introduced Pedro and Musonda, Batshuayi and Marcos Alonso were the biggest dangers at Crystal Palace's goal. The striker sent the ball into the stands from six metres while Alonso had a brilliant header denied by Speroni. The surprise was complete and Palace wins the first match after a disastrous start to their Premier League campaign.

European priorities

Chelsea hosts AS Roma on Wednesday in the third match of the group stage. It seems that European glory might turn out to be the main objective of Antonio Conte's team as Chelsea won a difficult game (2-1) at Atletico Madrid in September.

With the likes of Manchester City's dominance, Premier League might be an impossible mission for Chelsea as defending the title becomes a tricky task after defeats to Burnley, City and Palace.
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