**Chelsea**dropped two points in their first home fixture of the Premier League season. **Crystal Palace**pounced on the patterns of a predictable arrangement and showed that the Blues cannot bank on the momentum from the start of the summer to take them to the achievement of even higher targets.
Here are four things we learned from this goalless draw:
Tactical triumph for Glasner
The Blues knew they faced a tough test. Palace have won two titles this year at Wembley Stadium, defeating **Man City**1-0 in the **FA Cup**final before beating **Liverpool**in the Community Shield.
On top of that, there has been continuity with Oliver Glasner in his principles and system. A disciplined 5-2-3 block with a tight double pivot of Adam Wharton and **Will Hughes**completely choked out the centre of the park, providing the foundation for transitions from the visitors.
Simply put: **Chelsea**were easy to telegraph. **Marc Cucurella**came in from the left, but he often prefers to bounce the ball back where he is facing, and there was no room available for that option.
Moises Caicedo was in a cage from the front five of the opposition, and with the wing-backs ready to jump from the rearguard, there were harmful ball losses in the first half that led to counterattacks.
Inside the first fifteen minutes, a turnover saw Eberechi Eze duck through two blue shirts before Cucurella clattered Hughes and gave away a free kick. If Marc Guehi was not too forceful in pushing Caicedo close to the **Chelsea**wall, a clean strike from Eze into a gap would have put Palace ahead.
Caicedo continued to end up on an island, especially with **Enzo Fernandez**ahead of him, and the forward thinking Wharton was primed to release runners with passes through the heart of midfield.
It is not the first time ball dominance has backfired for the Blues, who must do a bit of rethinking.
Palmer (again) pales into the background
This display was frustrating for an outfit that came into the new campaign as champions of the world.
**Chelsea**crushed Paris Saint-Germain in the middle of last month with three first half goals to take home the Club World Cup trophy. Suitably, at the heart of the victory was their talismanic presence.
Cole Palmer put the ball in the back of the net twice in the first half hour. He had Malo Gusto on the overlap, with the freedom to waltz into the pockets, and pick and poison: the same formula that had seen the Englishman shoot to superstardom with Mauricio Pochettino in his debut campaign.
It would be foolish to think that **Enzo Maresca**would expect his men to encounter the same problems as they did facing PSG. But the point still stands that the team should be playing for Palmer more.
The attacker again sat inside Cucurella at the tip of a diamond. Between two midfielders and three central defenders, it was never going to be easy to get onto the ball. The afternoon drifted away from the number ten, whose hesitant second half shot signalled the vibe of the performance from the hosts.
His contributions in the USA and the **Conference League**final are proof that the talent is still there. But this is a man who has not scored an open play goal in the league since the middle of January. If Chelsea crack the top three, they cannot afford many more matches like this from the 23-year-old.
Forwards flatter to deceive
At the same time, there should not only be pressure on Palmer with all the billions spent on the side.
His fellow academy graduate from the Citizens, Jamie Gittens, got the chance to play in the Premier League for the first time. For a fee of £52 million, the supporters at Stamford Bridge would have wanted to see a less wasteful showing before he left the pitch at the beginning of the second half.
Pedro Neto arrived for a comparable fee last summer from Wolves. There were no excuses about needing time to adapt to life in the English top tier, and for all his endeavour, he continues to misfire.
To make matters worse, the solution to the striker saga looked less foolproof than at the start of the summer. Joao Pedro, often a winger or second striker for Brighton, brought home the **Club World Cup**title as a striker for the Blues, but there was little to see from the Brazilian on this occasion.
Liam Delap, the £30 million man from Ipswich, was a smart gamble to beef up the squad. But he is a more standard striker than Pedro and might have to worry about playing second fiddle in the side.
To be fair to the Blues, it can take time for the attack to gel with so many arrivals. But the emphasis is on results to build on the end of last season, so the flair and finishing need to be a show soon enough.
Youngsters give something to shout about
One of the exceptions to the rule is Estevao. The 18-year-old has already struck up a good working relationship with Palmer and looked to bring a smile to the supporters' faces during the second half.
Within moments of his entry, he lifted the noise in the ground. He squared up with Guehi from the right wing, and as the ball bounced back for him, he had the vision to pick out Neto at the far post.
Not everything was perfect. The delivery was a little too strong for his teammate to direct at the target in the air, and he missed a chance late in the second half. But it will be harder to contain the fanfare for the forward to get more minutes, and his growth will be a marker of Maresca's man management.
On the other hand, the Italian should have built up more faith in another teenage prodigy at the back.
**Josh Acheampong**made just his third **Premier League**start for the Blues. He had to fill in for Levi Colwill as the central player in the back three when the hosts had possession, showing how agile he can be with his carries and the ability to break through the lines with his passing on the floor.
Jean-Philippe Mateta was a tricky customer, but Acheampong faced the Frenchman on his full debut. He came out with credit from their battle and brings even more defensive depth to the roster.