Image credit: Getty Images
Chelsea brushed Crystal Palace away 3-0 in a dominant Stamford Bridge display in their opening Premier League match.
The new Eagles manager Patrick Vieira never lost as a player against Chelsea in the Premier League and there were hopes that his winning mentality would elevate this side.
But they weren’t given a chance to settle into the game as the Blues were relentless from the opening minutes of the game.
After a series of chances, it was a Marcos Alonso free-kick that broke the deadlock just before the half-hour point, the Spaniard’s perfectly placed shot had Vicente Guaita rooted to the spot as it floated into the top corner.
A second goal was added by Christian Pulisic who had the simplest of tasks of tapping the ball into the net after Guaita spilt a Mason Mount cross into his path.
The home side started the second half in the same vein of form and were 3-0 up when academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah took his moment. He surged forward with the ball and lashed his shot into the back of the net from 35 yards out.
Despite making changes Palace never looked like scoring as Chelsea ran out suitable winners.
What showed over the course of the 90 minutes was the gulf in class, warranted this was always going to be a tough test for Palace, but they will need to dust themselves off and find some confidence as it is going to be a long season.
Next up for the Blues is a trip across London to face Arsenal, while the Eagles host newly-promoted Brentford.