CHELSEA HELD TO GOALLESS DRAW BY CRYSTAL PALACE IN PREMIER LEAGUE OPENER
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
Chelsea endured a frustrating start to their Premier League campaign on Sunday as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge, just weeks after their Club World Cup triumph.
The Blues struggled to break down a disciplined Palace side, with new signing Estevao coming closest to a breakthrough but failing to convert from a central position.
Palace thought they had taken an early lead when Eberechi Eze’s powerful free-kick beat goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, but VAR intervened to rule out the strike, adjudging Marc Guehi to have illegally obstructed Moises Caicedo in the wall.
Despite speculation linking Guehi with Liverpool and Eze with Tottenham, both players started and impressed. “As long as they are 100 percent committed, they will play as they are so good,” Palace manager Oliver Glasner said. “They didn’t just show they are great footballers, but also great persons.”
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca attributed his side’s blunt display to limited preparation following their Club World Cup final victory over Paris Saint-Germain in New York just 35 days ago. “They played about eight (pre-season) games, we played just two, so we tried our best,” Maresca said.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest began their season in emphatic fashion with a 3-1 home win over Brentford. Chris Wood netted twice, while debutant Dan Ndyoe also scored to give Nuno Espirito Santo’s side a comfortable advantage.
Igor Thiago converted a late penalty for Brentford, but it was little consolation for new manager Keith Andrews, who faced a difficult debut after the Bees lost manager Thomas Frank, captain Christian Norgaard, and top scorer Bryan Mbeumo during the off-season.
Nuno praised his side’s fluid attacking play, saying: “It was a very good first half. The combinations were really good, beautiful goals. This is why we are insisting on a good balanced squad that gives us options and solutions.”
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