3 Major Talking Points From Chelsea vs Palace – No Costa, No Problem

Oscar’s early free kick and Cesc Fabregas’ first goal in the Premier League since 2010, was enough for Chelsea to see off Crystal Palace in a game that saw two red cards and tempers flare towards the end of the first half. With the win, the Blues maintained their five-point lead at the top of the table and are looking increasingly like a side who have no real weakness. For Crystal Palace on the other hand, the result leaves them just a point off the drop zone and has them looking back nervously.

Here are the three major talking points from the game.

1. No Costa, No problem

After weeks of constantly telling the press that he will be out for the game, before proceeding to play him anyway, Diego Costa was finally ruled out of the game against Crystal Palace with hamstring problems that have been troubling him all season long. If anyone predicted that the loss of their leading scorer was supposed to stop Chelsea from being their imperious best, they were proven wrong.

For in Loic Remy, they have a more than able replacement, who can take over the reins from the 25-year-old Spanish international. Although the Frenchman didn’t score a goal, his link up play throughout the game, brought his team mates into the game and had a few good chances himself. It was a game that showed just how strong the current Chelsea side is, even when they were playing with 10 men for more than a half and were without their top goal scorer, they still had more than enough to beat a side, who were supposed to give them a tough fight. It looks as though Costa might be unavailable for next weekend’s big game against Manchester United, but on the evidence of Remy’s performances so far this season, that might not such a huge miss after all.

2. Delaney’s stupidity costs the Eagles dear

Although the Eagles started and finished the game with a flourish, a moment of madness from Damien Delaney cost the home side any hope they had of getting back into the game. After going behind to Oscar’s early goal, it looked as though it was going to be another one of those games for Chelsea, who were looking imperious from the start. But Cesar Azpilicueta’s red card on the 39th minute gave the home side some hope. But that vanished just a few minutes later, as Delaney’s stupid foul on Remy earned him a second yellow and subsequent red.

Although both teams were lucky to end the game with 10 men each, the home side would’ve felt that they could given the Blues a run for their money, had they had the extra man. For once it became 10v10, the visitors simply took control in the second half and any sense that the home side were going to mount a comeback was lost after the sending off as it sucked the momentum out of their play. While they might not have won the game with 11 men, they would have certainly given the league leaders a close fight and not faded into oblivion in the second half.

3. Can anybody stop Jose’s Chelsea?

The game against Crystal Palace was supposed to be a test of how far the Blues have come. After all, it was only last season that they lost here, a result which prompted Jose Mourinho to claim that his players lacked the “balls” to win the League. But although they were down to ten men before the end of the first half, the visitors continued to play with an air of dominance that must have sent shivers down the collective spines of their title-challengers.

The only real blemish on the day, was the goal they conceded in stoppage time. But apart from that, it was a game that showed just how good the current Chelsea squad is. Even without their top scorer Diego Costa, they still managed to put on a show attackingly and the 2-1 score line certainly flatters the home side, who were well and truly beaten on the day. Up next is Manchester United and there is a growing sense that if they do beat the Red Devils there might not be any team in the League, capable of stopping this perfectly-balanced Chelsea squad.