Eberechi Eze thought he had given the visitors an early lead when his 13th-minute free kick flew past Robert Sánchez, only for VAR to intervene and rule the strike out.
The contest was locked in a stalemate for long spells, with both sides struggling to create clear chances after the break.
Chelsea found some rhythm in the closing stages, yet Palace stood firm to secure a deserved point on the road.
The result extends Palace’s unbeaten run to ten matches, with their last defeat coming away at Newcastle in mid-April.
Here are Adam Sells’ talking points from Stamford Bridge:
### A point made
There is no bad point away from home in the Premier League.
When the fixture computer throws up a first day away trip to the newly crowned club World Champions some would fear the worst. But not Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace team.
The Austrian has constructed such a well-oiled machine that fears no one. Palace are going into the toughest encounters believing they can get a result, and it shows.
_(Image: PA)_ Make no mistake, nobody wants to face Palace right now. At Stamford Bridge the Eagles were more than a match for their big spending hosts.
The central defensive trio of Marc Guehi, Maxence Lacroix and Chris Richards consistently nullified the threat of Cole Palmer and debutant Joao Pedro. It is hard to recall a clear sight of goal across the ninety minutes for either, though the introduction of Liam Delap and the lively Estēvão led a few late scares.
Palace were good value for the draw and only Delap managed to hit the target during that late flurry, with Dean Henderson in the visitors’ goal not forced into a diving save all afternoon.
### Déjà vu for Eze
For the second season in a row Palace started on a warm Sunday afternoon in West London. For the second season in a row, Eberechi Eze found himself on the wrong end of a refereeing decision after hitting the back of the net from a free kick.
The mercurial England man, who if you believe all of the speculation may have been playing his final game in a Palace shirt, unleashed a violent strike in the thirteenth minute which left Robert Sanchez grasping thin air.
_(Image: PA)_ After the away end celebrated wildly, referee Darren England ruled out the strike with the assistance of the officials at Stockley Park, deciding that Guehi’s proximity to the defensive wall was decisive. The England defender stepped across and used his shoulder to lean in and create a gap for Eze to exploit, though it would be fair to say that this was a little-known law prior.
Referee England famously went against the VAR advice awarding a controversial penalty against Chris Richards in an early season encounter at Aston Villa a couple of years ago, but Palace were out of luck again as the man in the middle decided to follow his colleagues’ lead.
One thing that was noticeable was in the second period when Chelsea were awarded a free-kick around the Palace penalty box, was that England specifically marked out the one metre distance at the end of the wall set up.
### **Huge fortnight ahead**
The remaining two weeks of the transfer window could be the most critical in memory for Crystal Palace Football Club.
What will happen with Eze and Guehi? Are there funds in place to strengthen the group? Are there a couple of loans that can be added to bolster the squad?
This is a huge crossroads in terms of future direction. Glasner has shown his team can mix it with the best and richest teams in the world. What could he achieve with further backing?
If the two aforementioned England stars were kept on and one or two bits of quality are added to the playing squad, Palace can push on again.
_(_Image: PA)After winning two pieces of silverware in a matter of months ending a 120 year wait, surely this is moment to back the Austrian and go all out for more.
With three billionaire owners, Josh Harris, David Blitzer and incoming Woody Johnson, surely there could never be a better time.
It would not cost a fortune to enhance the squad, but the idea of losing the crown jewels whilst on the cusp of something special is hard to swallow, despite the obvious financial hit the club would take by holding on another year.
With a few additions further glory may not be too far away, and Palace have a platform to really move forward as a football club right now. Who knows? Success may yet convince those that SE25 may be a great place to be, and money generated may well allow for suitable.
Europe awaits, Palace are showing up against the richest in the world thanks to a top coach and some very shrewd acquisitions. Now is the time.