Chelsea 3-0 Crystal Palace: 5 Talking Points as Thomas Tuchel's men record a routine win over local rivals | Premier League 2021-22

#3 Marcos Alonso shines as he looks to take his spot back from Ben Chilwell

Chelsea v Crystal Palace - Premier League

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.

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#2 Timo Werner fails to impress and will have to play second fiddle to Romelu Lukaku

Timo Werner did not have a shot on target against Crystal Palace

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.

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#1 Chelsea kick off the campaign with a statement win

Chelsea v Crystal Palace - Premier League

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.

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