Chelsea and Crystal Palace ended their Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge in a goalless draw. Despite Chelsea's dominance, they struggled to convert
their chances. Crystal Palace had the best opportunity in the first half, but Eberechi Eze's free-kick was disallowed after a VAR review. Chelsea's early momentum was halted when Marc Cucurella's header was cleared off the line by Ismaila Sarr.
Enzo Maresca's team seemed poised to set the pace early on. However, they couldn't sustain their initial drive. Eze believed he had scored for Palace with a powerful free-kick, but it was overturned because Marc Guehi stood too close to the Chelsea wall. Jean-Phillippe Mateta also saw his effort thwarted by Sanchez's save.
In the second half, Palace resorted to counter-attacks as Chelsea controlled possession. Eze had another chance late in the game, but Sanchez parried his shot away. The best opportunity for Chelsea came in stoppage time when substitute Andrey Santos missed an open chance, sending his shot over the bar.
Full-time at SB. #CFC | #CHECRY pic.twitter.com/hvaIrhgJVB
- Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 17, 2025
The match saw both teams taking numerous shots without finding the net. They combined for 31 shots, marking the most attempts without scoring in an opening Premier League match since Burnley vs Southampton in 2018-19, which had 34 shots. Chelsea accounted for 19 of these shots but managed only three on target.
Chelsea generated an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.81 compared to Palace's 1.07 from their 12 attempts, four of which were on target. This goalless draw marks Chelsea's first scoreless start to a Premier League season since facing Stoke City in the 2011-12 campaign.
For Crystal Palace, this is their first opening day without scoring since they faced Everton in the 2019-20 season. Both teams will need to improve their finishing if they hope to secure better results in future matches.
