Madueke spot-on as Chelsea give thanks to VAR for win against Palace

When Mauricio Pochettino looks for proof that he is capable of creating something coherent out of this talented and often chaotic Chelsea squad, he could be forgiven for dwelling on the persistence that made this nervy victory over Crystal Palace possible.

- Jacob Steinberg

Chelsea 2
Mudryk 13, Madueke 89pen

Crystal Palace 1
Olise 45

It had seemed this would be another night when the promise was greater than the end product.

After taking an early lead through Mykhailo Mudryk, Chelsea were in danger of dropping more points at Stamford Bridge. Pegged back by Michael Olise's equaliser, they had toiled during the second half and Palace were inching towards a result that would have moved them four points above the bottom three.

Instead the mood changed when Noni Madueke, who has made little impact since joining Chelsea last January, stepped off the bench and made the most of a rare appearance by winning and converting a late penalty. Up to 10th, Chelsea could reflect on a fourth consecutive home win in all competitions.

The constant flux within the squad has not made it easy for Pochettino to build, a reality underlined by the Argentinian making five changes after the defeat to Wolves. Injuries have bit hard, as has Chelsea's chronic indiscipline. This time Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer were missing through suspension, while Enzo Fernández remained absent in midfield, and the fact this was Chelsea's youngest ever starting lineup in the Premier League made Palace keen from the start, particularly with Olise immediately looking dangerous against Levi Colwill.