EPL : Chelsea ends 2018 in fourth place after London derby triumph over Crystal Palace

Selhurst Park was loud and full of entertainment on Sunday in the London derby when they welcomed Sarri and Chelsea to his first taste of Eagle Park derby.

Recent weeks have seen some joyful gifts for all the Eagles and in recent times this fixture has seen Roy’s men make a difference. However, Maurizio Sarri was not going to have it and was up for the challenge to take the double in this season’s London battle between Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

A tight one null ballgame was not a true reflection of the action at hand, but it does display the intensity between the two on the day. Many were sure Sarri was going to lead his line with Eden Hazard as the false nine patriot again but a surprise addition of Olivier Giroud to the starting eleven transpired.

Chelsea’s main man and a player worth every penny still up to today, popped up like a number nine and scored the only goal of the game. N’golo Kante was on target for Chelsea in the 51st minute of the game, helping his team to a good end, after an outstanding start to Sarri’s life as an English Premier League manager.

Roy has everything to be unhappy about

The game prior to this Selhurst disappointment was a draw but a game where Palace had created 31 chances. Here they achieved a measly four at goal with none of them on target. What contrast in the space of a few days.

No way they were posing a threat to the team in charge of the game for almost the whole 90 minutes. The Englishman’s cry for help upfront in an aid to get more goals should not fall on deaf ears as it is needed, desperately.

Going from an unbeaten run of three games, with the ex-champs one of those games in the mix, this was not the home performance needed by Crystal Palace. This leaves them in a bad way at the end of the year – with them four points above the drop. Hopefully they can turn the year as they did last season and accumulate some great results.

https://twitter.com/ChelseaFC/status/1079663370494767104

Chelsea got their way back and now must do everything to remain in the top four – a battle as tough as the one they started for the Premier League title before falling first of three.