Highlights: Chelsea 3-0 Crystal Palace: Trevoh Chalobah strikes on Premier League debut
Marcos Alonso free-kick, Christian Pulisic snapshot and Trevoh Chalobah long-range effort give Chelsea perfect start to Premier League season against woeful Crystal Palace; Jordan Ayew provides Eagles' only shot on target in Patrick Vieira's bow
Chelsea started their 2021-22 season with a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, putting an end to last season’s goal-scoring woes, and that was before record signing Romelu Lukaku was able to join the attack.
Marcos Alonso, Christian Pulisic, and Trevoh Chalobah’s 25-yard screamer on his Premier League debut gave the Blues their second-highest goal tally since German coach Thomas Tuchel took control in January.
The only other occasion Tuchel’s Chelsea had scored three or more goals in a game came in a 4-1 triumph over Palace in April of last season.
Of course, the Blues will encounter more difficult challenges than they did against their outclassed visitors on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
Player ratings
Chelsea: Mendy (6), Chalobah (7), Christensen (6), Rudiger (7), Azpilicueta (7), Jorginho (7), Kovacic (6), Alonso (8), Pulisic (8), Mount (7), Werner (6).
Subs: James (7), Havertz, Emerson (n/a).
Crystal Palace: Guaita (6), Ward (5), Guehi (6), Kouyate (6), Mitchell (4), McCarthur (5), Riedewald (5), Schlupp (4), Ayew (4), Mateta (4), Zaha (5).
Subs: Benteke (5), Andersen (5), Rak-Sakyi (5).
Man of the match: Marcos Alonso
Chelsea has games against Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester City before the end of September. However, Lukaku’s arrival will boost a team that already appears to be full of confidence after winning the Champions League last season.
The muscular Belgian centre forward – who joined the club for a claimed club record 97.5 million pounds ($135.16 million) from Inter Milan – was absent on Saturday because to a Covid-19 quarantine, but will be available for the visit to Arsenal next Sunday.
Chelsea had already made significant investments in their offense in previous seasons, bringing in Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, and Christian Pulisic.
Jorginho, a defensive midfielder, was Chelsea’s highest scorer in the Premier League last season, with seven goals, all from the penalty spot, leaving Chelsea fans yearning for the kind of consistent goal-getter they haven’t seen since Diego Costa’s departure in 2017.
Tuchel told reporters, “We were able to score three goals today and we did it without a penalty from Jorginho, which was remarkable for us.”
“The issue is well-known to us (last season). It was difficult for us to convert all of the opportunities we provided “explained the German. “As a result, we strive to assist with Romelu’s inclusion to our squad.”
In addition to the goals scored on Saturday, Tuchel can add another clean sheet to his tally of 19 in all competitions during his four months in command of the Blues last season.
Team news
- Chelsea handed Trevoh Chalobah a Premier League debut, while N’Golo Kante missed out injured in midfield.
- Crystal Palace included only one new arrival, with ex-Chelsea defender Marc Guehi handed his debut.
Chelsea travel to Arsenal on August 22 from 4pm; Kick-off at 4.30pm.
Crystal Palace’s first home game of the season is another London derby against Premier League new boys Brentford on August 21; Kick-off at 3pm.
