Chelsea Show Clinical Quality As Rosenior Praises Performance At Palace

Chelsea claimed a composed 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, with clinical finishing deciding the contest. Estevao punished a mistake from Jaydee Canvot for the opener, before Joao Pedro and Enzo Fernandez extended the lead. Chris Richards struck late for Palace after Adam Wharton received a red card.

Head coach Liam Rosenior highlighted the control Chelsea showed despite that late setback. The visitors produced 10 shots, with six efforts on target, and an expected goals total of 2.2. Palace struggled to handle Chelsea’s pressing, especially after the interval, when the away side increased the tempo and exploited defensive errors.

There was a strong Brazilian influence on Chelsea’s display, with Estevao and Joao Pedro central to

the result. Estevao, aged 18 years and 276 days, both scored and assisted in the same Premier League match for the first time. That contribution underlined Chelsea’s growing attacking options across competitions this season.

Estevao’s numbers also carried clear historical weight. Estevao became the youngest player to both score and assist in a Premier League game since Evan Ferguson, who achieved the feat aged 18 years and 76 days against Everton in January 2023. Estevao is also Chelsea’s youngest to do so since Neil Shipperley, aged 18 years and 164 days, versus Wimbledon in April 1993.

Joao Pedro continued that theme with decisive attacking output. Since making a Chelsea debut in July 2025, Joao Pedro has scored more goals, with 12, than any other Chelsea player in all competitions. Joao Pedro has also recorded the most goal involvements for Chelsea in that period, contributing to 16 goals overall.

Those individual efforts sat within a controlled collective display. Chelsea pressed Palace high and forced errors, including Canvot’s mistake for the first goal and the later handball. The visitors’ xG figure of 2.2 reflected the quality of chances created, helped by quick transitions and accurate passing into the final third.

Chelsea’s goals followed a clear pattern. Estevao struck first after taking advantage of Canvot’s error. Five minutes after half-time, Estevao turned creator, supplying Joao Pedro to make it 2-0. Fernandez then converted a penalty when Canvot was penalised for handball, before Richards’ consolation cut the deficit against 10-player Palace.

Rosenior was pleased with much of what Chelsea produced, but felt a clean sheet was within reach. Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, Rosenior said: "I'm very pleased. This is always a very difficult place to come. Crystal Palace are a very good team. What the players have given is outstanding. It's frustrating to not have a clean sheet in the last few minutesI wanted three in a row and we should've got one, we were 3-0 up against 10 men. But there's so much good. I thought we defended from the front, we were organised and were very clinical. All credit to the lads. We can be better on the ball, especially in the first half but in terms of what I want to see from a team performance, it was a very good one. "

A big three points! #CFC | #CRYCHE pic.twitter.com/YxSRRZYToeChelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 25, 2026

Joao Pedro explained how Chelsea approached what was expected to be a tight match. Joao Pedro told Sky Sports: "We knew this would be a tough game, they have a strong team. We knew we needed to win second balls and fight the whole game. We scored three goals, conceded, but got the three points. In the first half we could have played more with the ball, and did not control the game but at half-time the gaffer told us to keep going, play with intensity and when we scored the second we could breathe a bit. "

The forward also described the penalty incident, when Canvot handled Joao Pedro’s shot before Fernandez converted. Joao Pedro said: "As soon as I controlled the ball I took a shot as quickly as possible. I saw his arm away from his body, that's why I asked for handball. The ref gave it and we scored. "

The key statistics behind the match and Brazilian contributions for Chelsea can be set out as follows.

Category	Detail
Final score	Chelsea 3-1 Crystal Palace
Chelsea shots / on target	10 / 6
Chelsea expected goals (xG)	2.2
Estevao age	18 years, 276 days
Joao Pedro goals for Chelsea (all competitions)	12
Joao Pedro goal involvements for Chelsea	16

Chelsea’s win combined disciplined structure with decisive attacking play, led by Estevao and Joao Pedro. Rosenior’s side missed out on a third straight clean sheet after Richards’ late goal, yet the performance delivered control, important records for the young attackers and another league victory built on clinical execution.