**Chelsea**could not crack a resilient Crystal Palace unit, drawing 0-0 in their first match of the season.
This was a contest between two teams from the capital city that have been on an upward trend for the last few months. But while reality has struck for unfortunate reasons beyond the control of one club, the proverbial balloon popping for the other outfit in this fixture would be something of a surprise.
The Blues blew away Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final with a free role for Cole Palmer on the right and a willingness to go direct. But when the tables turned to show their last twelve months of development as a ball-dominant outfit, they underwhelmed to say the least.
Their guests got their first point on the board, doing all the things that have also earned them two titles in the last three months. They walk away from Stamford Bridge with pride in their performance.
Story of the Match
The Eagles were entering this fixture off the back of a shootout victory over **Liverpool**in the Community Shield. But with demotion to the Conference League confirmed the day after, the talk about an exit for Eberechi Eze or club captain Marc Guehi has grown during the last seven days.
In the end, both men remained in the plans for Oliver Glasner as part of a stable starting eleven.
The Blues have splashed the cash again this summer, introducing two new faces to the lineup. Joao Pedro stayed as the striker ahead of Liam Delap, while Jamie Gittens got the nod as the left winger.
Earlier this week, Enzo Maresca made clear his desire for the board to bring in a new central defender after an ACL injury to Levi Colwill. Without one, he relied on two other Cobham graduates, Trevoh Chalobah and teenager Josh Acheampong, to lock down the middle of the back four.
The Italian would not have imagined a more senior member of his setup would make an early error.
Eze ducked and bobbed through blue shirts, and as the ball fell for Will Hughes, Marc Cucurella clattered into the midfielder with a late tackle. He paid the price with a free kick: Guehi leaned into Moises Caicedo to clear a gap, and the attacking midfielder smashed a strike past Robert Sanchez.
The Spaniard was fortunate that Guehi pushed his way too close to the wall, chalking off the effort.
Palace came again minutes later. Adam Wharton turned out of a press and feathered a well-weighted pass to Jean-Philippe Mateta on the edge of the danger zone, but Sanchez ducked down to deny him.
The Blues banked almost 75% of the possession during the first half hour. But you could forgive the supporters at **Stamford Bridge**for feeling the first display of the season was a little dull and dreary.
Clear-cut chances were at a premium for a group that wanted to make a statement of their intent.
Despite the changes at the back, Maresca's blueprint looked the same. Cucurella choked up the centre of the park, inverting from left back, and Palmer tried to find pockets of space inside a disciplined, deep block. The Eagles know their roles in a familiar 5-2-3 formation and kept frustrating the hosts.
As time passed, the crowd quietened, and with good reason. Half time arrived with only one strike on target for the Blues, Reece James walking a tightrope on a yellow card, and seven shots from Palace.
**Chelsea**could not snap out of their deliberate rhythm after the break. Passes were lazy, touches were getting heavy, and the crowd was crying out for something different to lift the mood. Maresca obliged.
**Estevao**entered the field, taking the place of Gittens, and Neto moved to the left flank. With his first attempt at a dribble, the Brazilian got the better of Guehi, and he had the vision to pick out Neto at the far post. The weight of cross was a little too strong for a header, but his impact was immediately felt.
Neto returned the favour, starting to service the penalty area with deliveries. Palmer picked up the rebound from one of them and hesitated a little too long before his shot was blocked. The hosts continued to persevere with fresh legs from **Liam Delap**and Andrey Santos as a box crasher.
Having sunk deeper into their half of the field, the Eagles still stopped their opponents from piling on the pressure. As the momentum of the hosts stalled, they started to soar once more in the transition.
Eze and **Jean-Philippe Mateta**tried their luck from long range on the counter to catch Sanchez off his line. The striker was stretching the limits of Acheampong, who otherwise impressed thanks to his composure, positioning, and speed. There was no indication that **Chelsea**would come out on top.
The game ticked away into injury time with one more big opportunity in waiting. Delap, keen as ever to throw his weight around, laid off the ball for Cucurella, whose cutback met Santos on the edge of the box. The Brazilian backed himself over finding Palmer to his left, but blazed the ball over the bar.
Palace must fight to keep their best talent. But they showed that the group can do great things if it stays together for a little longer, backing up the pair of 1-1 draws with **Chelsea**from last campaign.
Meanwhile, it is back to the drawing board for the Blues. Maresca thought his men deserved more from the last two stalemates with their visitors, but this was the least exciting display of all three. He must be careful that his insistence on particular player roles does not curb the talent at his fingertips.
The Palace defence deserves credit for their discipline, but their strategy works that much better due to the quality that they have to kill opponents. Again, their talismanic figure thrived in West London.
**Eberechi Eze**did not miss a beat, effortlessly gliding with the ball and looking to take on men. **Reece James**is a difficult customer for most attackers, but he had to play with caution in the second half.
If not for an infringement, he would have walked away with the headlines with a superb set-piece.
The 27-year-old might still exit this summer, but if it were his last day out with the Eagles, Eze has left the supporters with all the right sort of memories on top of the trophies to reward his personality.