Eze was given the nod to start as Palace opened their Premier League campaign with a goalless draw at Chelsea, despite speculation ramping up over a move to fellow London side Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs are yet to make a bid for Eze, but the 26-year-old, who scored the winning goal in last season’s FA Cup final, has the ambition to play Champions League football and would be open to joining the Europa League winners.
The England international mustered six attempts at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, four of which came from range, as he seemed desperate for a moment.
Eze thought he had given Palace lift off in the 10th minute when he thundered a free-kick from the edge of the area past Robert Sanchez.
However, VAR intervened and rescinded the goal because Eagles captain Marc Guehi was within a yard of the Chelsea wall.
Following the final whistle, Eze shared a moment with the Palace support, who serenaded him, as he clapped, prayed and patted the club’s crest.
He joined Palace from Queens Park Rangers for a fee close to £20 million in 2020 and has since made 169 appearances in all competitions – contributing 40 goals and 28 assists.
Should Eze depart, QPR stand to receive 20% of any profit Palace make. The Eagles are demanding a fee in the region of £60 million.
His contract at Selhurst Park is due to expire at the end of next season, with this summer marking the final chance for Palace to maximise sale value for the attacker.
"He was picked because he is a Crystal Palace player, and he’s a very good Crystal Palace player. He trained the whole week. There was no reason not to pick him.
"The players are giving the answer week by week. Last week, it was winning the Community Shield. This week, getting a point against the club World champions.
"It shows this group have got such great characters. We have no influence on all the noise and rumours around us. But we know what we want to do and how we want to play. This is what we want to show every single game.
"The players did great today, they showed that everyone is 100 per cent commited to Crystal Palace - otherwise it is not possible to get a draw here against a very good Chelsea side.
"You are talking about rumours, Eze has a contract with us, he is our player and he showed it today. As long as he is a Crystal Palace player and performs like this then he will play for us.
**More to follow...**