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Chelsea got off to a winning start in the Premier League 2021-22 campaign by making quick work of London rivals Crystal Palace by a score of 3-0. Marcos Alonso opened the scoring from a direct free-kick in the 27th minute, while Christian Pulisic doubled their advantage in the 40th minute, capitalizing on Vicente Guaita's spill from an incoming cross.
Trevoh Chalobah added the third in the 58th minute in spectacular fashion to put the game to bed. Crystal Palace were the second-best side in the game, lacking teeth in the final third and had just one shot on goal.
Chelsea have kicked off the 2021-22 campaign in great fashion and were victorious in the UEFA Super Cup as well, defeating Villarreal 6-5 on penalties.
As the Blues recorded a comfortable win over Crystal Palace, here we take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Debut goal for Trevoh Chalobah in the Premier League
Two defenders were on the scoresheet for Chelsea tonight and both goals were equally spectacular. Marcos Alonso has already made a name for himself as a goal-scoring defender, but Trevoh Chalobah had a memorable debut in the Premier League for the Blues, scoring in the 58th minute from outside the box.
Chalobah was great defensively as well and was not dribbled past in the game. The Chelsea youth product will be looking to emulate the likes of Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham to cement his place in the starting XI.
#4 Patrick Viera's Crystal Palace fail to impress against a dominant Chelsea
Crystal Palace were definitely the underdogs in the fixture against European champions Chelsea but they failed to give a good account of themselves in the first competitive game under new manager Patrick Vieira.
They could muster only one shot on target and spent the majority of the game chasing the ball. Vieira changed the formation from 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3, but they were dominated by the hosts in every part of the pitch.
Their main player, Wilfred Zaha, was hardly involved in the buildup and the defenders were not comfortable in possession and became disorganized under pressure.
This was their eighth straight defeat at the hands of Chelsea and it seems the team needs some time to adjust to Vieira's tactics.
Also See: The 10 highest-paid goalkeepers in the world
#3 Marcos Alonso shines as he looks to take his spot back from Ben Chilwell
Marcos Alonso had fallen out of favour with old Chelsea boss Frank Lampard last season and the arrival of Ben Chilwell also seemed to signal his imminent departure from the club.
He was, however, handed a start ahead of the former Leicester City defender by Thomas Tuchel and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands and scored a wonderful free-kick to open the scoring for Chelsea here.
He has now scored in every single campaign with Chelsea in the Premier League and that is a commendable achievement for a defender. One can only hope that we will get to see more of him this season and there'll be healthy competition between him and Chilwell for the left-back spot.
#2 Timo Werner fails to impress and will have to play second fiddle to Romelu Lukaku
Timo Werner was at the receiving end of constant criticism for his failures in front of the goal last season. Given that it was his first season at the club, the treatment from fans might seem a bit harsh. However, the German striker has failed to put in a solid shift again at the start of the new season.
Werner did not have a single shot on target against Palace, and despite playing the full 90 minutes, failed to provide any input in the final third. Chelsea, as a team, were very dominant and comfortable throughout the game, and they will be even more dangerous with the addition of their £98 million signing, Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgian striker played in a similar system at Inter Milan and could be all set to hit the ground running in his second stint at the club. Werner needs to step up or else he will have to spend a lot of time warming the bench.
#1 Chelsea kick off the campaign with a statement win
Chelsea carried on the momentum from a great pre-season into the Premier League as they dominated the proceedings against Crystal Palace at the Stamford Bridge tonight.
The newly-crowned Super Cup champions hardly had to break a sweat in the game and were relentless from the get-go. They were the superior side on the pitch and controlled the tempo of the game.
The players worked brilliantly together and were determined to score goals until the final whistle. With this win, they have made their intentions of going all the way this season very clear.
Also See: 10 highest-paid players in La Liga this season (2020/21)
