Great defending all match from Azpi, Rudiger, and Luiz. Luiz assist and Kante goal. Barkley was physical, and Giroud was a great focal point in the box. Willian had a number of great shots just off and was an attacking force on the right. Great all around play today, and was my exact prediction of 1-0 when breaking down a tough side that has had a number of clean sheets.
Really important win given the points dropped by Tottenham and Arsenal on Saturday. We’ve done fairly well this busy holiday season except for one match against Leicester City, but then again they beat Man City the next match (then lost to Cardiff, but who’s counting?). One more match this holiday season, January 2nd, at home against Southampton.
Some concerns again with us creating chances and the usual things happening: misplacing the critical last pass, passing around the 18-yard box, woodwork, and other usual mistakes. We have the lowest conversion rate (goals / chances created) amoung the “top 6”, and I couldn’t help but think that today didn’t help our statistics. However, we knew Crystal Palace were going to make this difficult and seeing them play in a 4-5-1 further helped.
Injuries are are now a concern up front. Giroud left south London with crutches. Odoi, Pedro, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Cesc Fabregas are all out. Hazard and Morata will start against Southampto, but who do we have at RW?
Three points. NEXT.
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