Chelsea’s first game of the new season ended with an underwhelming result against Crystal Palace.
Chelsea struggled to hit top gear as they recorded a goalless draw at home to Palace in the Premier League fixture.
Palace star Eberechi Eze had a free-kick ruled out by VAR, which was the closest that either side came to scoring. For Enzo Maresca’s team, they couldn’t break the deadlock despite all the attacking talent on the pitch.
Several Chelsea players struggled against Palace in their league opener, so they had to settle for a point against a quality opponent. Next, the Blues make the trip to rivals West Ham on Friday night.
Chelsea's players in a huddle before the Premier League match against Crystal Palace.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
The Chelsea player who covered the most ground vs Crystal Palace
Even though it was their first game of a new season, Chelsea’s players certainly put a shift in against Palace during warm conditions. Unsurprisingly, Maresca used four substitutes during the second period to freshen things up.
It is interesting to see which Blues stars covered the most distance during Sunday’s London derby.
Player Distance covered
Marc Cucurella 10.9km
Cole Palmer 10.1km
Trevoh Chalobah 9.7km
Top three Chelsea players who covered the most distance vs Crystal Palace via FOTMOB
Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella, 27, ran further than any of his teammates yesterday. In the current system, it’s not a huge shock because their Spanish full-back gets up and down the pitch for 90 minutes with his incredible engine.
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Darren Bent massively rates Cucurella, describing him as the best left-back in the Premier League right now.
While plenty of Blues stars struggled to shine against Palace, Cucurella was his usual brilliant self with plenty of energy and aggressiveness. He’s become such a dependable figure in the team that rarely lets them down.
Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella running during the Premier League contest against Crystal Palace.
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
The fastest Chelsea player vs Crystal Palace
Without a doubt, Chelsea have plenty of speed demons in their squad right now with express pace.
It’s intriguing to note that Blues winger Pedro Neto, 25, clocked the fastest speed during the weekend draw against Palace.
Player Top speed
Pedro Neto 35.1km/h
Jamie Gittens 33.7km/h
Reece James 32.5 km/h
Top three Chelsea players who hit the fastest top speed vs Crystal Palace via FOTMOB
Alan Shearer praised Neto by claiming he’s the type of attacker he would have loved to play with because of his strengths.
All of a sudden, the Portuguese winger looks like quite a senior figure in the Blues forward line as alternative wide options Estevao Willian and Jamie Gittens are both so young. Hopefully, Neto can step up and deliver a strong season.