Roy a great man, my friend, doing great job with Palace – Pochettino
Crystal Palace host Chelsea in a Monday night Premier League encounter that could have serious repercussions for both managers.
Roy Hodgson, who manages the Eagles, is under pressure from the fanbase after a series of fluctuating results which has dropped the London side into the bottom half of the table. Palace have only won three games since the end of September and are just five points above the drop zone which means they are in danger of being drawn into a relegation battle. Should they fail to gain more consistency, and the positive results that tend to come with it, the pressure will continue to mount on the owners to replace Hodgson with a manager who can bring a more exciting brand of football to Selhurst Park.
A similar situation faces Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino. Consecutive defeats to Wolves and Liverpool ramped on the noise around the Argentine but a well-earned victory over Aston Villa in an FA Cup fourth-round replay shows signs that he is imprinting his own style on play on the team. However, the pressure on Pochettino would return if Chelsea were to slip up against Crystal Palace this evening.
Follow all the action from Selhurst Park plus get the latest odds and tips right here:
Half-time! Crystal Palace 1-0 Chelsea
45+3 mins: The teams head into the break with Crystal Palace taking a slender lead down the tunnel. Chelsea have had a lot of possession but they’ve not done much with it.
Mauricio Pochettino has come thinking to do during this break.
Mike Jones12 February 2024 20:51
Crystal Palace 1-0 Chelsea
45 mins: Conor Gallagher has Chelsea’s first chance of the match after Noni Madueke slips him into the box. He shoots and sends the ball across goal but it runs wide.
Three minutes of added time to play.
Mike Jones12 February 2024 20:47
Crystal Palace 1-0 Chelsea
Palace pass the ball daintly and slip the ball into the box for Daniel Munoz. He’s given a push but Thiago Silva and after trying to stay on his feet goes down when the ball rolls out of play.
Palace want a penalty but the referee plays on and there’s no intervention from VAR who were looking at the incident.
Mike Jones12 February 2024 20:43
Crystal Palace 1-0 Chelsea
39 mins: Chelsea are getting closer. A cross comes into the box from the right wing, as usual in this half, but Ben Chilwell gets his head to it this time and nods it down for Nicolas Jackson.
The striker looks to shoot on the spin but Joachim Andersen gets ahead of him and wins the ball back for Palace.
Mike Jones12 February 2024 20:40
Crystal Palace 1-0 Chelsea
36 mins: Moises Caicedo is down and needs a bit of treatment on his knee. This could be a worrying sign for the Blues but the midfielder is back on his feet and can play on.
Mike Jones12 February 2024 20:37
Crystal Palace 1-0 Chelsea
33 mins: There’s a confidence about Crystal Palace now.
They’re moving the ball quickly, buoyed on by the singing and chanting of the supporters who are still trying to come to terms with that opening goal.
Chelsea need to regroup and move the ball quicker.
Mike Jones12 February 2024 20:35
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-0 Chelsea (Lerma, 30’)
30 mins: That is a stunner!
The game needed a shot in the arm and boy has it got one. Crystal Palace push high, Jean-Philippe Mateta brings it into the box but Thiago Silva knocks it away.
Moises Caicedo looks to run the ball clear but loses possession and Jefferson Lerma takes up the ball. He touches it to the right then smokes a rocket into the far top corner.
Dorde Petrovic had no chance.
Mike Jones12 February 2024 20:33
Crystal Palace 0-0 Chelsea
27 mins: Noni Madueke makes a wonderful run to breeze around the Palace defence and get the ball into the box. He then checks his run and passes it backwards meaning Chelsea’s chance to score goes begging.
Mike Jones12 February 2024 20:28
Crystal Palace 0-0 Chelsea
24 mins: Axel Disasi is caught on the heel but Jean-Philippe Mateta who is then given the ball. He spins and runs towards goal but Thiago Silva is quickly onto him to recover it.
A turnover inside Chelsea’s final third releases Mateta inside the box but his curling effort is sent straight into the arms of Dorde Petrovic.
Mike Jones12 February 2024 20:25
Crystal Palace 0-0 Chelsea
21 mins: Matheus Franca has threatened to make a couple of penetrating runs in between the Chelsea defenders but each time the visitors have managed to intercept the threaded pass.
That method of attack could pay off for Palace if they can get the ball through. Good defence from Chelsea though.
Mike Jones12 February 2024 20:22
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
