Chelsea cruised to a 3-1 win as Adam Wharton was sent off on the 71st minute to go fourth in the table.
The Blues also got a penalty on the 64th minute when a handball incident in the box was adjudged to stop Joao Pedro from scoring his second of the match.
Estevao opened the scoring after an explosive break on the counter and Joao Pedro made it two shortly after half-time with Enzo Fernandez’s penalty making it 3-0.
When Wharton was sent off for a second yellow card, it all but sealed the game even though Palace got a consolation goal from a corner through Chris Richards.
Though Liam Rosenior has not had much time on the touchline with his side, amidst the Enzo Maresca exit it’s clear that Chelsea still possess match winners that can find space and take their chances ruthlessly.
In this article we’ll cover
Rosenior’s Tactics
Though in the first half the pace of the game was slow, Chelsea’s 3-2 shape meant they could have Marc Cucurella as an extra body in the half space in midfield.
As this happened and Chelsea had the ball at the back in deep build-up, Palace would press with their front three and midfield two.
The point was to let Palace press and then pump it long into the channels to Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro. This became easier to do after the first goal as before the Estevao opener, Palace were finding their way into the match and Jean-Phillipe Mateta was a problem as usual.
Though Chelsea may not have progressed the ball smoothly through the centre often, their threat came from when they could release their fast wingers into space.
Estevao, Pedro, Neto dribbling in the channels and driving at Palace’s defence is when Chelsea looked dangerous. We’ve already seen one of the most influential managers in Pep Guardiola changing his style of late, opting for fast wingers on the touchline going away from his patient tiki-taka style of football.
It feels as though Rosenior is following suit and with Alejandro Garnacho on the bench as an unused substitute, Chelsea have depth in this department. Though it’s early it may be the way the former Fulham player wants to setup his Chelsea side.
Brilliant Estevao
The Brazilian is growing in confidence and growing in terms of his influence in matches. Every time he drove forward, The Blues looked dangerous and the attack looked in sync as he combined with Pedro and Enzo Fernandez well.
What was impressive about his performance is his fearlessness as a dribbler. He attempted 5 take-ons and 3 fast breaks, one of which resulted in the goal.
It’s not easy to come directly from the Brazilian league and become an attacker for an elite club as there is always immense pressure on every action, but he seems unperturbed by the pressure and his willingness to continously dribble and take men on may make him a key focal point in Rosenior’s reign.
Out of possession, his work was also valuable as Chelsea pressed in a 3-3 with the front three pressing Palace’s back three and Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo pushing up to mark Wharton and Jefferson Lerma as the central pivot options.
Estevao was well worth his goal as he took advantage of Palace overcommitting in attack and quickly breaking. Though the finish wasn’t easy, it reminded me a lot of his terrific goal against Barcelona.
In Estevao, Chelsea may have a star on their hands.
Mateta eventually tamed
Though Mateta missed a key early chance, Trevor Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile eventually got a hold of the Frenchman who is one of the most physical and difficult strikers in the league.
Palace’s build-up and attack is centred a lot on what Mateta does and how he plays, he may be the most valuable or important player to a certain team.
As Chelsea pushed up to cut off the central midfield options with a full-back pushing up and joining the press, Palace attempted to use this and play aerially over the top of them.
When this happened Mateta would wrestle with Chalobah and Badiashile but it actually backfired on two occasions that led to Chelsea scoring.
When the ball was fizzed into Mateta, Chalobah dispossessed him and played Pedro through over the top. Though the finish, much like Estevao’s goal was well taken, the space was available because whenever the ball goes long to Mateta Palace push forward and overcommit.
It was a similar story for Estevao’s goal because though the run was good as well as the finish, Palace piled men forward.
Initially, Mateta was getting joy as Chalobah struggled to grapple with him, but both centre-backs grew into the game.
Since Rosenior took charge, he has won four out of his five matches. Though there appears to be some jokes about what he says in the media and some of his interviews, quietly, Chelsea have had a brilliant start under him.
Though Pafos and Charlton Athletic were ‘easier’ opponents during this run, it’s a good start nonethless.
Rosenior’s style of combining all of his fast wingers in attack may be enough to blow teams away and make Chelsea a formidable team to charge for the Champions League places.