Chelsea Held to Draw by Crystal Palace as Key Players Falter

Chelsea began 2025 with a frustrating 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace in the Premier League, extending their winless run to four matches. Despite taking an early lead through Cole Palmer’s 13th league goal of the season, the Blues were unable to capitalize on their first-half dominance.

Palmer opened the scoring after just 14 minutes with a well-worked goal, linking up effectively with Jadon Sancho. Chelsea created numerous chances in the first half, registering nine shots, but failed to extend their advantage.

Their wastefulness proved costly when Jean-Philippe Mateta equalized for Palace with only eight minutes remaining in normal time. The draw left manager Enzo Maresca disappointed, particularly with the performances of striker Nicolas Jackson and defender Marc Cucurella.

Jackson’s Ineffective Outing

Jackson struggled to make an impact during his 81 minutes on the pitch. The Senegalese forward failed to register a shot on target, missing three attempts and completing just one successful dribble. He squandered a golden opportunity to double Chelsea’s lead in the first half after being played through by Palmer.

The striker’s involvement was limited throughout, taking only 30 touches and completing 9 passes. He won just 4 of 11 duels contested and received a match rating of 4/10 from the Express for his underwhelming display.

Cucurella’s Defensive Frailties Exposed

While Jackson underperformed, left-back Marc Cucurella had an even more disappointing outing. The Spaniard, usually a reliable performer under Maresca this season, looked a shadow of his usual self against Palace.

Cucurella offered little going forward, attempting just one dribble and failing to create any chances or make key passes. Defensively, he was equally ineffective, losing possession 10 times and winning only 3 of 8 duels. He was also partly at fault for Palace’s equalizer, failing to keep pace with Mateta.

The Express rated Cucurella’s performance at 5/10, noting he “didn’t get too many opportunities to get forward and allowed Palace to get too many crosses in from the right.”

With an FA Cup tie against Morecambe next weekend followed quickly by a Premier League clash with Bournemouth, Maresca may consider rotating his squad. Dropping Cucurella to the bench in favor of Renato Veiga could provide a much-needed reset for the out-of-form defender.