The result suggested Crystal Palace had suffered at the hands of the expensive newcomers in Chelsea’s attack. The reality was different. For 45 minutes, it felt like nothing had changed: Chelsea were worryingly short of invention on the ball and yet another home game was threatening to turn into a tedious grind against negative opponents.
It was two defenders who calmed the nerves, giving Chelsea a win built on patience and persistence. Ben Chilwell, signed to solve their weaknesses at left-back, broke the deadlock with his first goal since his £50m move from Leicester. Soon after he turned provider, crossing for Kurt Zouma to shatter Palace’s resistance.
It was a good afternoon for Chelsea’s maligned back-four. Zouma was commanding alongside Thiago Silva in central defence, ensuring that Edouard Mendy did not have to make a save on his first league start, while Chilwell’s flying display showed why Frank Lampard wanted him. “Ben was fantastic,” the Chelsea manager said. “He looked like he’d played for us for a long time.”
While Chilwell already looks comfortable, other parts remain a work in progress. This performance was hard to read. Chelsea won 4-0 without sparkling as an attacking force and Lampard was unhappy with their efforts during a tepid first half, pointing to a lack of movement and penetration up front.
It is going to take time for the attack to click. Hakim Ziyech is yet to make his debut and Christian Pulisic has just returned after injuring a hamstring when Chelsea lost to Arsenal in the FA Cup final last season. As for the intake from the Bundesliga, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner are still adjusting to the pace of a new league.
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