Chelsea were held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge, with a number of Blues players failing to make an impact in the Premier League opener
16:31, 17 Aug 2025
Reece James of Chelsea competes for a header with Eberechi Eze
Chelsea were held to a frustrating draw by Crystal Palace
Chelsea were left frustrated after a goalless draw against Crystal Palace.
Despite controlling the vast majority of the second half, Enzo Maresca's team couldn't break down their resilient opponents, with Marc Cucurella, Trevor Chalobah, Estevao, and Liam Delap all missing opportunities.
Maresca was visibly disappointed during the second half. However, Chelsea had a stroke of luck when a VAR review disallowed Eberechi Eze's free-kick, ruling that Marc Guehi had infringed inside one metre of the Blues' wall.
This result means crucial points lost for the Blues at the start of the Premier League season, which harboured hope of a title challenge.
Here are the Daily Star Sport rates Chelsea's players in the draw.
Chelsea player ratings (4-2-3-1)
Don't miss a thing with football updates!
Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news? Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star Football email newsletter!
From the latest transfer news to breaking stories, get it all in your email inbox.
How do you sign up?
It only takes a matter of seconds.
Simply click on this link, then provide your email address and that's it, job done. You'll receive an email with all of the top football stories.
You can also sign up for our sport email, Off the Ball, for all the latest darts, boxing, snooker, F1 stories and more, right here
Article continues below
Robert Sanchez 4: How much longer will Maresca stick with his first-choice keeper? He was caught out of position early on when Eberechi Eze tried a long-range shot, and was fortunate when the same player had a free-kick goal ruled out. His distribution was poor and he continues to be unconvincing.
Reece James 5: Seemed sluggish in the first half. Already on a yellow card, he fouled Eze with a poorly timed tackle but remained on the pitch.
Josh Acheampong 7: An impressive performance from the 19-year-old. He made an excellent sliding challenge to stop Daniel Munoz and looked confident dribbling the ball out of defence. But understandably struggled against Jean-Philippe Mateta's strength.
Chelsea's English defender #34 Josh-Kofi Acheampong (R) competes with Crystal Palace's French striker #14 Jean-Philippe Mateta (L) during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge in London on August 17, 2025. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Josh Acheampong took on the challenge of handling Jean-Philippe Mateta(Image: JUSTIN TALLIS, AFP via Getty Images)
Trevor Chalobah 6: He missed a good first-half opportunity, slicing his shot from eight yards out. He was solid in defence.
Marc Cucurella 5: He was active in attack but typically inconsistent. His performance was epitomised by a moment when he threw the ball directly out of play for a goal kick during a throw-in.
Enzo Fernandez 6: He attempted to get involved but failed to make any significant impact. He appeared frustrated when substituted before the end of the match.
Moises Caicedo 7: He continued his good form from last season, intercepting several Palace attacks and driving forward effectively. One powerful run in the second half was stopped by a cynical foul from Will Hughes.
Pedro Neto 5: He struggled to make an impact and poorly timed a header from six yards out with the goal at his mercy.
Cole Palmer 5: He demonstrated his usual skill on the ball, but most of his work was done from deep rather than in dangerous areas. He squandered a free-kick opportunity, hitting it straight into the wall.
Jamie Gittens 4: He started promisingly and showed glimpses of threat down the right, his cross leading to Chalobah's chance. However, he faded after the break and was hooked off after 53 minutes.
Joao Pedro 6: He was energetic and moved well. He also displayed his aerial ability but was closely marked by Marc Guehi and never got the clear opportunity he needed.
Subs:
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 8: Estevao of Chelsea during the pre-season friendly match between Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen at Stamford Bridge on August 8, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Estevao was lively but wasteful on his Premier League debut(Image: Visionhaus, Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Estavao (for Gittens, 53) 4: Came on for Gittens to a thunderous applause and immediately made his presence felt with a direct run. However, he sent two golden opportunities over the bar, despite showing signs of becoming a star at Stamford Bridge.
Article continues below
Liam Delap (for Joao Pedro, 73) 5: Provided a physical presence after coming on, but squandered a clear shooting opportunity by hitting it straight at Dean Henderson.
Malo Gusto (for Reece James, 79) 5: A puzzling defensive substitution as Chelsea were pushing forward, and he didn't contribute much in attack.
Andrey Santos (for Enzo Fernandez, 79) 4: Introduced late into the game and, aside from a few neat touches, didn't make a significant impact and spooned the last chance of the game into space.