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| Manager Jose Mourinho will have to correct things quickly if the season is to be saved for Chelsea. |
It was a cool London day in March and the year was 1982. Second division foes Chelsea and Crystal Palace locked horns in a tight and hard fought game, ultimately ending with the Eagles winning 2-1 on a late goal. If you are suffering from deja vu, don’t worry, you're not alone.
For the first time in 33 years, Palace won at Stamford Bridge using the same formula.
After new arrival Radamel Falcao came on and pulled the Blues level with his goal in the 79th minute, it was a forgone conclusion the game would end in a tie, or worse, for the Eagles. Unfortunately for Chelsea supporters, Joel Ward was having none of that Kool-Aid. Just two minutes later, Yannick Bolasie sent in a cross that found the outstretched leg of Sako, passing it on the volley to Ward who gracefully headed it home.
To put in perspective just how big of a win this was for Palace, consider that Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho’s side had lost just ONCE in 99 home games. In typical Mourinho fashion, he deflected some of the blame for the loss, placing it at the feet of the referee, while heaping a small amount of praise on Palace.
"The first thought is to Palace,'' Mourinho said. "They come with everything. They were lucky but they deserve the luck. My team, I think we deserved more. I don't want to say we deserved to win, because it's not true."
"The referee did a big mistake. Clear penalty with the result 0-0 and obviously with influence in the result. The one with Zouma that I watch at half-time on television. It was a clear penalty. (But) I prefer to go in this order, when I say Crystal Palace first.''
Through four league games, Chelsea have only managed a total of four points, putting them eight points adrift of league leaders Manchester City and 13th in the EPL. City, on the other hand, have looked unbeatable.
