Giroud opener adds insult to injury for Gary
Cahill out for season and his collapse lets in Blues
FOOTBALL can be a cruel old game. Ask Gary Cahill.
The former Chelsea defender has been a huge success for Crystal Palace this season after leaving Stamford Bridge as a free agent last summer.
But when he stretched for a ball in a Blues build-up, the defender pulled a hamstring that will probably rule him out for the season.
Willian was left free to race past him and set up Olivier Giroud for Chelsea’s opener.
That and another goal from Christian Pulisic put Chelsea in early control.
Wilfried Zaha made it 2-1 before Tammy Abraham restored Chelsea’s two-goal lead, only for Christian Benteke’s late strike to leave the Blues hanging on nervously.
Chelsea’s luck was well and truly in when Scott Dann’s last-ditch header was tipped on to the post by Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard produced a shock before kick-off when he opted for 19-year-old Billy Gilmour to come in for the injured N’Golo Kante, leaving Jorginho again on the bench in a major snub for the Italian, though he came on later.
Chelsea could not have got off to a better start but it was bad news for their former centre-back Cahill.
Reece James played the ball down the line and Cahill, right, would have got to it but, as he stretched, the veteran went down painfully, clutching his hamstring.
One-nil Chelsea.
Kurt Zouma should have put them further ahead but headed wide. The second goal did come when Willian, who had an outstanding game, played a neat one-two with Giroud and fed Pulisic, who stepped outside a challenge and lashed the ball home.
It looked like Chelsea would cruise it but then James lost the ball, Patrick van Aanholt worked it into the middle and Zaha took a touch and lashed a glorious 30-yarder past Kepa.
Giroud nodded over from close in and Lampard reacted as he brought on Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Abraham. It produced an instant result as Loftus-Cheek raced through the middle and slipped in Abraham, who fired home off the post.
But if Chelsea thought the game was all wrapped up they were mistaken as Van Aanholt pulled the ball back and Benteke stabbed home for only his second goal of the season.
And then from Zaha’s chipped cross, Kepa produced that crucial save from Dann. Convincing it was not.
CRYSTAL PALACE (4-3-3): Guaita 6; Ward 6, Dann 6, Cahill 6 (Sakho 7, 6), Van Aanholt 7; McArthur 6 (McCarthy 79, 6), Milivojevic 6 (Meyer 89 6), Kouyate 6; Zaha 7, Benteke 6, Ayew 6 (Townsend 79, 6). Goals: Zaha 34, Benteke 72.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): Kepa 6; James 6, Zouma 7, Christensen 6, Azpilicueta 7; Barkley 6 (Loftus-Cheek 64, 6), Gilmour 6 (Jorginho 79, 6), Mount 7; Willian 7, Giroud 7 (Abraham 64, 6), Pulisic 7. Goals: Giroud 6, Pulisic 27, Abraham 71.