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Chelsea returned to English Premier League 2020-21 action in style, annihilating Roy Hodgson's Crystal Palace 1-4 at Selhurst Park. The emphatic-looking scoreline still doesn't paint a fair picture of the game, as Chelsea could have scored at least two or three more goals.
Thomas Tuchel's men had put the ghost of a 5-2 drubbing at the hands of West Brom behind them in their last game against FC Porto, and today was arguably the best the Pensioners have looked under the former Borussia Dortmund manager. Kai Havertz opened the scoring for the visitors, with Christian Pulisic's brace and Kurt Zouma's powerful header ensuring that Chelsea left with three points in their bag.
Today's win puts Chelsea in a comfortable position in the top-four race, as the Blues are just two points behind 3rd placed Leicester City, who have a game in hand.
On that note, let's take a look at the five crucial talking points from the game.
#5 Kai Havertz shows why Chelsea paid £71 million pounds for him
Heavily criticized for his passive style of play until this juncture, Kai Havertz played like a man possessed today. Linking the play in the final third effortlessly, Havertz repaid Thomas Tuchel's faith in him by bouncing back from a poor performance against FC Porto.
The mercurial attacker bagged a goan assist assist, apart from constantly picking away at the Crystal Palance centre-backs. Kai Havertz got in some really promising positions today to receive cut-backs and crosses, and should have added at least one more goal to his tally.
#4 Crystal Palace's attack was toothless
Roy Hodgson decided to start the game with Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha as the two forwards, with Jordan Ayew and Eberechi Eze taking up the right and left flanks, respectively.
However, both the wingers and Zaha were completely neutralized by the Chelsea defense and Crystal Palace managed a solitary shot on target, Benteke connecting on a header from Jeffrey Schlupp's cross. Palace were simply unable to create enough chances for their strikers, their creative players finding it difficult to even string together a series of passes in Chelsea's territory.
Eberechi Eze was a passenger in today's proceedings as Callum Hudson-Odoi's movement on Chelsea's right flank had the Crystal Palace star pinned back in his half for the majority of the time. When he was presented with the ball, the youngster lacked the conviction and accuracy to find his teammates in the opposition's half.
Also Read: Top 10 strikers in the world this season (2020/21)
#3 Christian Pulisic finds himself amongst the goals again
All Chelsea forwards were breathing fire today, but one player that both the fans and Tuchel wanted to get back in form, Christian Pulisic, had a stellar night. The American winger scored a goal on each side of the 45-minute break, both goals showing his ability to arrive at the right time and the right place in the box.
He also looked sharp while dribbling and weaving passes in the danger zone, linking up well with fellow forwards Kai Havertz and Mason Mount. Pulisic has now scored four goals in his last four games for club and country and it looks like the diminutive wide forward is getting back to his best after a torrid start to the campaign.
#4 Roy Hodgson's defensive tactics backfire in the first half
Roy Hodgson set up his Crystal Palace side in a familiar 4-4-2 formation, two low blocks of four behind the two strikers. The team essentially played with six defensive-minded players, with only Patrick Van Aanholt from defense allowed to venture forward.
This strategy was fully exploited by Chelsea in the first half hour of the game, their crisp passing and movement opening up the Crystal Palace defense with ease.
The midfield duo of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic were given ample time on the ball in the middle of the park because of the 2 low blocks, which allowed them to pick their forward passes without any pressure. As a result, Crystal Palace lost the game inside just 30 minutes, conceding three goals to the Pensioners.
#5 Callum Hudson-Odoi has made the right wing-back role his own
The following stats highlight Callum Hudson-Odoi's contribution tonight- 1 assist, 57 accurate passes, 88% pass accuracy, 5 key passes, 2 shots and 6 chances created. Hudson-Odoi shuttled up and down the right flank, causing Patrick Van Aanholt all sorts of problems. At times, his execution wasn't perfect, but his intent and aggression were on full display today.
The England U-21 star also showcased his defensive awareness against Crystal Palace, recovering the ball nine times and registering a tackle and a clearance each. Thomas Tuchel has rotated academy graduates Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James for the right wing-back spot since the start of his tenure, but today's performance could help the former cement his place in the side for good.
Also Read: Real Madrid vs Barcelona — Combined XI | LaLiga 2020/21
