Date: February 12, 2024

Match: Crystal Palace vs Chelsea

Venue: Selhurst Park

The Premier League showdown between Crystal Palace and Chelsea at Selhurst Park last night ended in a 3-1 victory for Chelsea after recovering from a 1-0 first-half deficit through goals scored in the second half.

Jefferson Lerma broke the deadlock for Crystal Palace at the 29:39 minute mark, demonstrating a moment of individual brilliance. However, despite his early heroism, Lerma would later find himself in the referee's bad books, receiving a yellow card in the 69th minute of play. Daniel Munoz Mejia of Crystal Palace also received a yellow card at the 79th minute mark. While Chelsea received only one yellow card.

The data reveals a noteworthy aspect hinting towards Chelsea's dominance in the game; with seven corner kicks as compared to Crystal Palace’s single corner kick. Crystal Palace seemed to struggle in maintaining possession, which led to Chelsea consistently pressuring their defense and ultimately leading to more opportunities for corner kicks.

Chelsea took advantage of their offensive pressure, scoring their first goal in the 46th minute of the second half, effectively canceling out Crystal Palace’s lead. They maintained the momentum and continued to net two more goals in quick succession at the 90th and 93rd minutes, making the scoreline 3-1 in their favor.

Despite being flagged down for offside more often (4 offsides) compared to Crystal Palace’s two, Chelsea’s relentless offensive strategy paid dividends in the end. On the other hand, Crystal Palace committed twice as many fouls (14 fouls) to Chelsea’s seven. This could have disrupted their rhythm, costs them valuable possession, and potentially led to them conceding those crucial goals later in the game.

In conclusion, Chelsea's superior ball possession, their efficient use of corner kicks, their ability to draw fouls from Crystal Palace, and their relentless attacking approach even when flagged offside combined to turn the tide in their favor. The fluctuating fortunes of Jefferson Lerma, who scored the opening goal for Crystal Palace but later received a yellow card, formed a key subplot in a match where Chelsea's second-half resurgence was truly the defining factor in their victory.

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