The defending Champions League and a new Club World Cup winners are back to England, and the return was triumphant. Thomas Tuchel’s side last played in the top flight almost a month ago when they defeated Tottenham, and have had a week’s rest since winning the Club World Cup last Saturday. And it took them 89 minutes to eventually score the winner, but the win is all that counts, especially when City and Liverpool are so far away: Crystal Palace – Chelsea 0-1.Chelsea was seriously struggling in the London derby with Crystal Palace, and after visiting Selhurst Park, they came back to Stamford Bridge with all three points, thanks to Hakim Ziyech, who brought them a triumph in the 89th minute.7 – Romelu Lukaku had just seven touches against Crystal Palace, the fewest in a single Premier League game for a player with 90+ minutes played since this data is available in full for the competition (2003-04). One of those touches was from kick-off in the first half. Quiet.— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 19, 2022 It is no wonder that Thomas Tuchel’s team struggled so much to shake the opponent’s net when the most outspoken Romelu Lukaku had only two touches with the ball in the 45th minute of the game – one of those was an initial shot after the first whistle. For the sake of comparison, none of his teammates had less than 20 in the same period. On the other hand, Ziyech took a path from a man who was rumored to have no future in Chelsea, to a man who brings points to the team with his goals from one game to another. Tonight, he shot the ball brilliantly on the second post and hit the closer corner for the dramatic lead and victory.Chelsea’s defense managed to close all approaches to Mendy’s goal, and left the Eagles without a shot on target, while Palace keeper Guaita had two good stops before he had to capitulate late in the game. Antonio Rudiger launched a projectile from over 30 meters in the 11th minute, but the Spanish goalkeeper prevented one of the most attractive goals in the English elite since the start of the season. Unfortunately for him, he failed to save the Eagles from defeat.
