Chelsea tactics
Jose Mourinho had to replace the suspended John Terry with Gary Cahill in Chelsea’s starting line-up, but the Blues boss retained the rest of the players that started in the 2-3 victory over West Brom.
Mourinho expected his side to monopolise the ball and create chances through intricate play centrally, with his attacking midfielders rotating positions between the lines.
Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic were the two central midfielders in a 4-2-3-1. The central midfield pair collected the ball from centre backs to start attacks. Fabregas then proceeded forward, leaving Matic as the sitting midfielder.
Full-backs Branislav Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta added width to attacks by pushing into the attacking half. They had to exploit the space left on the flanks by the infield movements of the wide attacking midfielders.
Pedro Rodriguez and Eden Hazard were those wide attacking midfielders, drifting inside to help create chances in and around Palace’s penalty box. Willian started as the central attacking midfielder but he rotated positions with the wide attacking midfielders in an attempt to influence the game between the lines.
Diego Costa completed the offensive formation as the centre forward, providing a target up top while also making runs in behind Palace’s back-four.
When the Blues had to defend, Costa led the pressing with Willian working just behind the Spanish striker. Hazard and Pedro defended from the sides of Matic and Fabregas while the full-backs dropped to the defensive line.
Crystal Palace tactics
Alan Pardew set his side up in a similar 4-2-3-1 formation with the intention of forcing Chelsea to work for the territory they gained by beginning their defensive work in the middle-third.
Offensively, the Eagles had to combine direct and patient attacks looking to penetrate down the left flank.
That meant Connor Wickham and Bakary Sako allowed Chelsea’s central defenders time on the ball while beginning serious pressing on Matic and Fabregas. Wilfried Zaha and Jason Puncheon supported that high pressing by engaging the hosts’ full-backs.
When Chelsea had good possession, Palace had to drop off and form a compact defensive unit in their own half. Yohan Cabaye and James McArthur double-pivoted just in front of the defenders to deny Chelsea’s attacking midfielders space behind the midfield line, which they like to exploit.
When Palace had the ball, they had the option to launch it early into the offensive half with Wickham and Sako as the targets. When the Eagles had good possession, Cabaye and McArthur worked the ball through midfield before switching it to the left flank.
In the offensive third, the plan was to gang up on Ivanovic, who has had a difficult start to the season. Sako pulled out from the number 10 position to attack the inside left channel, while Zaha and an overlapping Pape Souare completed the triangle of Palace players who created chances around the veteran full-back.
Wickham led the attack and was looking for service from the flanks, while Puncheon drifted in off the right side to work just behind the strikers. Cabaye and McArthur cautiously picked moments to support play through the middle while ensuring that the central defenders always had protection.
Key tactical changes
In the opening hour, Chelsea enjoyed more chances and territory than the visitors, but Palace always looked dangerous on the break. Pardew’s men unsurprisingly created their opening goal from a combination of left-back Souare, left attacking midfielder Zaha and Sako, who all aimed to create overloads on Ivanovic’s side.
Crystal Palace’s lead compelled Pardew to stiffen his midfield and hold on to a 0-1 advantage. Sako pulled out to operate as a right midfielder. He and Yannick Bolasie tracked back with Chelsea’s full-backs, while Puncheon tucked in to ensure that three holding midfielders protected the area in front of the central defenders.
Mourinho switched to a 4-4-2 formation to open up the game and add more presence in the box. The Blues boss sacrificed defensive stalwarts Matic and Azpilicueta in an attempt to push for an equaliser.
Young striker Kenedy operated from left-back, bombing forward at every opportunity, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fabregas supported attacks through the middle. Radamel Falcao and Costa spearheaded the attack, while Pedro and Hazard completed the game as high wingers.
Chelsea were successful in opening up the game, but that affected both sides. The Blues created more clear-cut chances but they also left too much space behind. Both teams consequently scored, which meant that the Eagles remained in front.
In the last 10 minutes, Zouma tried to further supplement the forward line by becoming a third targetman in the box, with Ivanovic covering at centre-back, but Palace packed their defensive-third en route to a historic victory.
