Soccer Football - Premier League - Crystal Palace v Chelsea - Selhurst Park, London, Britain - January 4, 2025 Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta in action with Chelsea's Moises Caicedo REUTERS/Tony O Brien
LONDON (Reuters) - Crystal Palace scored a late equaliser to leave Chelsea winless in four Premier League games as Jean-Philippe Mateta struck in the 82nd minute to cancel out Cole Palmer's first-half opener.
Chelsea had chances to seal the win before Mateta picked up a ball from Eberechi Eze and blasted home from close range to ease Palace's relegation worries.
Palmer had given the visitors a deserved lead in the 14th minute when he fired in an angled shot after fine work on the left by winger Jadon Sancho who dummied his marker on the halfway line to sprint free and set up the England forward.
The draw left Chelsea in fourth place, one point ahead of in-form Newcastle United who sit just outside the Champions League spots in fifth.
Crystal Palace are 15th, six points ahead of Ipswich Town who are in the highest of the three relegation positions and travel to Fulham on Sunday.
(Writing by William Schomberg, editing by Ed Osmond)
