Eberechi Eze‘s superb second-half strike earned Crystal Palace a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.
Chelsea appeared to be on course for victory after Nicolas Jackson’s first-half goal, but Eze’s brilliant curling effort ensured the Eagles left with a point.
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea side looked sharp in the first half, with Nicolas Jackson prodding them ahead after a swift counter-attack involving Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke.
The Blues came into the match off the back of a 6-2 thrashing of Wolves and looked to carry on their attacking form.
Chelsea’s early pressure paid off when Nicolas Jackson finished off a quick break, tapping in Palmer’s low cross at the near post to make it 1-0. The Blues continued to threaten, with Cole Palmer firing just wide and Dean Henderson making a superb save to deny Noni Madueke.
Crystal Palace were fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men when Will Hughes, already on a yellow card, escaped further punishment for a foul on Palmer. The Eagles took full advantage of their fortune when Eze curled a beautiful strike beyond Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez to equalize in the second half.
Palace almost took the lead when Daichi Kamada’s powerful shot was pushed away by Sanchez, who kept Chelsea in the game with a fine save. In stoppage time, Jackson had a golden chance to secure all three points for Chelsea, going through on goal, but his shot was saved by Henderson, ensuring the game ended level.
The draw got Crystal Palace off the mark for the season after suffering back-to-back defeats, while Chelsea now have four points from their first three games.
