Cole Palmer (£10.5m) and Joao Pedro (£7.5m) failed to break down a well-drilled Crystal Palace outfit on Sunday.
Here are the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) takeaways from Stamford Bridge.
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PALMER + PEDRO QUIET
This was the first time since Gameweek 1 of the 2024/25 season that Chelsea failed to score at home.
For all their firepower, there weren’t loads of chances either, with only two shots on target.
Just one big chance was created, too, as they looked a shadow of the team that destroyed Paris Saint-Germain in last month’s FIFA Club World Cup final.
Enzo Maresca opted for Joao Pedro to lead the line.
The Brazilian, who is the most-owned forward in FPL, had scored five in five since his arrival, but only touched the ball 23 times and had two shots, both off target.
Liam Delap (£6.5m) was subsequently thrown on to replace him on 72 minutes.
As for Palmer, he was equally quiet and has now failed to score from open play in any of his last 17 Premier League games for Chelsea.
Above: Cole Palmer’s shot map v Crystal Palace in Gameweek 1
Pedro Neto (£7.0m) and Jamie Gittens (£6.5m) also lacked quality on the flanks, and they’ll already feel under pressure from substitute Estevao (£6.5m), who did at least bring some excitement to Stamford Bridge, almost creating a goal with his first involvement.
“He was very good. He showed personality – he has already shown that in training. He will be a very important player for this club.” – Enzo Maresca on Estevao
But perhaps it was to be expected that Chelsea wouldn’t be as sharp as Palace, given that the Blues only started pre-season training 13 days ago.
They do at least face West Ham United next, who suffered a miserable 3-0 loss at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
“We could have counter-attacked better but it is only the first game of the season. They played about eight games, we played just two so we tried our best.” – Enzo Maresca
£4.0M ACHEAMPONG STEPS UP
With Tosin Adarabioyo (£4.5m) and Levi Colwill (£5.0m) out injured, teenager Josh Acheampong (£4.0m) partnered Trevoh Chalobah (£5.0m) at the back.
Confident on the ball, he looked more than ready, registering eight defensive contributions (DefCons), including five clearances.
“They played very well, they didn’t concede anything. Josh [Acheampong] did well, he is very young and he is going to be a good player for this club.” – Enzo Maresca on his centre-backs
Acheampong’s long-term prospects remain unclear, however.
Tosin only has a “small problem” according to Maresca, but the Italian wasn’t sure exactly how long he would be out.
The return of Wesley Fofana (£4.5m), who was on the bench against Palace, was also discussed.
“Physical problem – we don’t know for how long.
“Wes was on the bench. Hopefully for the next one we can start to use Wes for some minutes.” – Enzo Maresca on Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana
Elsewhere, Marc Cucurella (£6.0m) was active in attack and often inverted into midfield, with his early flicked header cleared off the line.
Moises Caicedo (£5.5m), meanwhile, put in plenty of tackles and interceptions and claimed five points, thanks to 12 DefCons.
PALACE STAND FIRM
Out of the two managers, Oliver Glasner will no doubt be happier.
Eberechi Eze (£7.5m), who started despite transfer interest from Tottenham Hotspur, thought he’d opened the scoring after smashing a free-kick past Robert Sanchez (£5.0m), only for VAR to rule it out.
Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.5m) was later denied after a smart pass from Adam Wharton (£5.0m).
However, this match was all about Palace’s rearguard, who embraced the battle and just wouldn’t let Chelsea through.
Indeed, Dean Henderson (£5.0m) didn’t have a proper save to make.
Maxence Lacroix (£5.0m) was the standout defender. Equal to everything thrown at him, he anchored the back line superbly and racked up 16 DefCons.
Palace still have some tricky fixtures to come, but on Sunday’s evidence, will be difficult to break down.
