Premier League: What did Chelsea learn from the win against Crystal Palace?

Chelsea continued their unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign by defeating Crystal Palace 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. A brace from Alvaro Morata and a goal from Pedro were enough to seal the three points for Chelsea.

With the win, Chelsea reclaimed the second spot in the Premier League table. The result also meant Maurizio Sarri became the first Chelsea coach to remain unbeaten after 11 Premier Leagues. Also, the Italian equalled Frank Clark for the longest unbeaten run by a coach in his debut Premier League season.

While Roy Hodgson's side managed to slow down Chelsea's attacking movement for large parts of the game, the Blues continued to control the game. Despite struggling to create chances, Andros Townsend's goal was possibly the only chance Chelsea conceded in the game. As a result of the result, Chelsea is only two points behind Manchester City.

The game provided some important lessons for Chelsea fans. Here is a look at five of them.

#5 Morata, a rejuvenated man

Chelsea FC v Crystal Palace - Premier League

Alvaro Morata's struggles since moving to Chelsea are well documented and his lack of goals were becoming a huge problem for the club. With both strikers failing to put their name on the scoresheet, a team is going to struggle to find the back of the net.

Only a month ago, it was looking like the biggest area of concern in Chelsea. However, over the last few weeks, Morata has turned around the corner. The Spaniard has now scored four goals in his last four Premier League games and five goals in the last six in all competitions.

While it remains too early to judge whether Chelsea could manage to compete without the need to sign another centre-forward, however, Morata's return to form could make a huge difference to Maurizio Sarri in the short term.

#4 Pedro should be starting

The third and decisive goal of the game came from Pedro Rodiguez. The former Barcelona forward got at the end of a cross from Marcos Alonso to give Chelsea a two-goal advantage.

Prior to that, the 31-year also assisted Alvaro Morata's opening goal. While a couple of injuries have hindered his season, Pedro is clearly an important player in Maurizio Sarri's system. He has already scored 4 goals and given an assist in only 481 minutes of Premier League football this season.

While Willian is Sarri's first choice on the other side of Eden Hazard at the moment, Pedro's eye for goal should make him reconsider that decision. While Willian is almost played double the minutes of Pedro, he has only three goals to show for in all competitions. While Willian offers trickery and skill on the wing, Pedro's end product is better.

#3 Kovacic's importance should not be understated

Chelsea v Vidi FC - UEFA Europa League - Group L

With Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek hitting a rich run of form in front of goal, there were debates in the Chelsea fans about the need to sign Mateo Kovacic. While quite clearly Barkley and Loftus Cheek are the goalscoring midfielders Chelsea have been looking for since Lampard's departure, Kovacic is still an important player for Maurizio Sarri.

While he does not have the same eye for goal as the two Englishmen, Kovacic's impact on the overall play is extremely important in the way Sarri wants to play. The impact the Croation had from the bench was there for everyone to see against Palace.

The former Real Madrid midfielder's ability on the ball in transition from defence to attack is better than anyone else in Chelsea's midfield option. Also, he is someone who hardly misplaces a pass, beats the press with ease and has a great work rate

#2 Hazard's quality makes all the difference

Due to a back injury suffered against Manchester United, Eden Hazard was still not fit to start the game. However, he did return to the matchday squad as the Belgian found a place on the bench for Chelsea.

With the game tied at 1-1 at the hour mark, Sarri called on his talisman to change his fortunes. Hazard's first touch was a clever backheel which started an attack for Chelsea. Within seconds, he earned a free kick in a dangerous position. He took the set-piece and found Alvaro Morata with it, with the Spanish striker giving Chelsea the lead.

Like many times in the past, Hazard's quality made all the difference. Not only did he build the goal but his presence lifted the team's spirit and the atmosphere at the ground. The Belgian continues to be the game-changer at Stamford Bridge.

#1 Azpilicueta, a cause of concern

Despite the positive result, the performance did raise some alarm bells at Stamford Bridge. One of the biggest is at right back with Cesar Azpilicueta. The Spanish defender has been consistently one of Chelsea's best players over the last five years in different positions. However, coming back to his original position, he has looked a shadow of the player he was.

The biggest concerns come on the ball as he constantly kept losing possession. In the win against Crystal Palace, Azpilicueta's pass-completing rate was a mere 81%. This was the lowest of any Chelsea player in the team.

Throughout the season, his contribution going forward have been next to nothing. In Sarri's possession-based game, his poor passing rate is something that is extremely costly to the blues. Over the years, Azpilicueta has established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League. However, this season, he seems to struggle in that aspect of the game too.

Both Wilfried Zaha and Patrick Van Aanholt were easily able to get past him into potentially dangerous areas. This is slowly becoming a common theme this season. If it continues, Sarri will soon have to reevaluate his options for the position. One is forced to wonder whether Azpilicueta is struggling to keep up with his constant change of positions.