Chelsea survived a late scare to secure a 2-1 Premier League win over struggling Crystal Palace on Saturday, with a Willian strike and an own goal earning them three points after successive defeats in Manchester.
Brazilian forward Willian picked up the ball on the left, cut inside and fired it along the ground, taking a deflection on the way past a diving Wayne Hennessey and in off the post in the 25th minute.
Six minutes later, a mix up between defender Martin Kelly and Hennessey earned the champions their second when a shot from Davide Zappacosta ricocheted off both Palace players into the goal, with Kelly getting the final touch. Chelsea, fifth in the standings, were in control.
Palace, however, looked livelier in the second half after Wilfried Zaha replaced Christian Benteke and Alexander Sorloth hit the post. They halved the deficit late on through former Chelsea player Patrick van Aanholt to make it a nervy finish at Stamford Bridge. --Reuters