Chelsea ended a run of three Premier League (PL) games without victory, edging out Crystal Palace thanks to Kai Havertz’s second-half header.
With new signing Mykhailo Mudryk watching on, the often maligned Havertz should have done better with a free header, but could only guide his effort over the bar.
A flurry of late chances saw Thiago Silva and Lewis Hall come particularly close to finding a breakthrough, yet the game remained goalless heading into the break.
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Havertz atoned for his earlier miss, this time directing Hakim Ziyech’s cross beyond Vicente Guaita, leaving the visitors with little over 25 minutes to find a response.
Havertz then had the chance to virtually wrap up the points with 10 minutes to play, yet his close-range header at the back post somehow missed the target.
Palace had come from behind to win on four separate occasions this season, but second-half chances were at a premium until the final minutes.
Ultimately, Chelsea held firm to go level on points with next weekend’s opponents Liverpool, albeit having now played a game more.
More importantly, a sixth defeat in seven PL games leaves Palace looking nervously over their shoulder.
 games without victory, edging out Crystal Palace thanks to Kai Havertz’s second-half header. With new signing Mykhailo Mudryk watching on, the often maligned Havertz should have done better with a free header, but could only guide his effort over the bar.){kind=link}