CONTE’S STUMBLE

Pep and Pochettino given glimmer of hope as Blues slip up against Zaha & Co

And he isn’t exactly experiencing the phenomenon known as ‘squeaky bum time’ just yet.

But this defeat saw Chelsea’s grip on top spot softened slightly.

And if Manchester City can inflict another defeat on Conte’s men back here at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday then the Italian will know exactly what Sir Alex Ferguson was on about when he coined that phrase in 2003.

This victory for Crystal Palace – their fourth in successive games – has certainly made the title race interesting again.

Conte admitted as much. And if Pep Guardiola’s City do leave with a win it really will be game on, with the gap between the top four possibly down to as few as six points by the time the midweek fixtures are done.

It still isn’t likely to see Chelsea blowing it from here. But fans of Tottenham, Liverpool and City may find Newcastle’s epic 1996 collapse creeping into conversations in the coming days. This wasn’t just a big result at the top end of the Premier League, either.

Palace took another step away from the drop zone. And Sam Allardyce looks to be living up to his billing as the top flight’s Harry Houdini yet again. There were times his side defended as if their lives depended on it.

On-loan Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho, in particular, was immense with right-back Joel Ward and goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey superb as well.

They weren’t helped when James Tomkins, Sakho’s central defensive partner, left the field at half-time with a calf injury and 10 minutes after replacing him Scott Dann had to be carried off after Ward fell on him.

His knee injury could rule him out for the rest of the season. They certainly didn’t have it easy, as Eden Hazard, Willian and Diego Costa threw the kitchen sink at them late on.

But they held firm and the goals Wilfried Zaha (above, left) and Christian Benteke scored after nine and 11 minutes after Cesc Fabregas gave Chelsea a fifth-minute lead were enough.

Palace had not conceded in their last three Premier League outings but their run came to an end early on as Fabregas started and finished a move.

He showed great vision as he turned defence into attack with a ball over the top which released Hazard down the left and then timed his deep run to perfection to turn home at the near post.

The Blues’ procession towards the title looked set to continue, but Palace are a different beast under Allardyce. They refused to buckle and when Benteke’s flick found Zaha soon after, the Ivorian held off four Chelsea defenders to turn and drill a low effort across Thibaut Courtois.

Chelsea were stunned, even more so when Benteke gave Palace the lead moments later.

The big Belgian still has plenty to prove but his finish was lovely this time.

He picked the ball up on halfway and advanced until David Luiz stuck out a boot to nick it off him. The visitors’ luck was in as it rolled straight to Zaha, and when he fed Benteke the striker flicked the ball over Belgium team-mate Courtois.

Chelsea were hugely unlucky referee Craig Pawson didn’t give them a penalty when Andros Townsend deliberately handled Pedro’s goalbound shot.

And they created chances for Diego Costa and Co, but Hennessey was equal to all of them and with Sakho and his defensive pals doing the business in front of him, the visitors held on despite seven minutes of stoppage time.

“You didn’t expect that, did you?” exclaimed Allardyce with a beam.

You didn’t expect to see that today, did you? SAM ALLARDYCE

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