Crystal Palace equalise late on as Chelsea’s festive blues drip into 2025, with Jean-Philippe Mateta salvaging a point to earn 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park.
The Frenchman levelled in the 82nd minute, as the draw extended Chelsea’s Premier League winless streak to four.
Cole Palmer gave Chelsea the lead in the 14th minute to earn his 13th goal of the season, as the visitors dominated in the first half.
Once-relegation-threatened Palace have now picked up 14 points from their last 10 top-flight contests.
Enzo Maresca made six changes from Chelsea’s Ipswich defeat, including a full Premier League debut for the impressive 18-year-old Josh Acheampong.
Palace captain Marc Guehi was back in Oliver Glasner’s line-up after serving a one-game suspension, while Cheick Doucoure started in place of the injured Will Hughes.
Chelsea ventured deep in Palace territory early, Jadon Sancho volleying over from a cross, while a big tackle by Chris Richards broke up the run of Nicolas Jackson.
But the American defender found himself in trouble soon after, outsmarted by Sancho, who drove down the left and cut in, slipping the ball to Palmer, who slotted through the legs of Guehi for the 14th-minute opener.
Chelsea nearly scored again soon after, but Jackson’s volleyed attempt from a flicked-on free kick was well wide.
What few spells Palace did enjoy in Chelsea’s final third by the halfway point in the period were stubbornly thwarted, and they were lucky when Pedro Neto could not connect with Palmer’s outstretched foot after deftly working his way to the edge of the the six-yard box.
The Blues were firmly in the drivers’ seat – save a brief Palace foray that allowed Ismaila Sarr to nod in the direction of Robert Sanchez.
The Eagles had another real opportunity at the half-hour, but Moises Caicedo blocked Mateta’s effort through a crowd and Sanchez was able to paw away Eberechi Eze’s volley.
Palace, who struggled to finish from their chances in the first half of the season, missed another opportunity to equalise early in the second half.
Sarr worked the ball to Daniel Munoz, whose cross found Eze inside the penalty area, but the England attacker flashed wide of Sanchez’s left post.
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