A dominant Chelsea struggled to break down Crystal Palace as the spoils were shared as the London derby at Stamford Bridge ended 0-0.
Enzo Maresca’s side looked like they were setting the tone when Marc Cucurella’s early header was cleared off the line, but they were unable to maintain their quick start.
Eberechi Eze drilled a free-kick past Robert Sanchez (below) in the 13th minute, only for the goal to be disallowed.
After VAR review, the referee overturned the original decision of goal to Crystal Palace. The referee announced: "After review, away number six is less than one metre away from the wall as the shot is taken. Therefore, it's an indirect free kick and a disallowed goal."
Palace failed to make a mark on the counter-attack in the second half, but the best chance to win the match fell to Chelsea substitute Andrey Santos, only for him to blaze a first-time effort over the bar under no pressure late on.
The two London clubs played out the second goalless draw of this new Premier League season, as Palace picked up a point at Stamford Bridge for the second successive season.
How the match unfolded
Chelsea came close to a third-minute opener as Cucurella sent Reece James’ corner looping towards the far post with a header, but Ismaila Sarr made a brilliant goalline clearance to deny him.
Palace thought they had taken the lead when Eze lashed in a free-kick 10 minutes later, only for the goal to be overturned after a VAR review as the referee deemed Marc Guehi was less than one metre away from the Chelsea wall.
The visitors kept pushing to try and find the breakthrough, with Jean-Philippe Mateta denied by a sprawling Sanchez after he was played in behind by Adam Wharton.
Chelsea upped the pressure on Palace’s goal after the break without causing Dean Henderson any real problems, as debutant Estevao launched their best opening high into the stands shortly after he came off the bench.
Eze had a late attempt parried by Sanchez, while at the other end, Liam Delap scuffed an effort straight at Henderson before an unmarked Santos fired high over the target in stoppage time.
Blues blunted in final third
Chelsea have added both the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup trophies to their collection since the end of the last Premier League season, with Maresca eyeing more success in 2025/26.
And they started on the front foot, packing the six-yard box on corners, with Cucurella only inches away until Sarr’s timely intervention.
Josh Acheampong thumped a header over in a similar situation, while Trevoh Chalobah blazed his shot over the crossbar from close range after Guehi struggled to sort his feet out in time.
But for all of Chelsea’s possession, they struggled to create chances of note, with some grumbles rising from the crowd over their slow build-up, though that changed with Estevao's arrival in the 54th minute as he injected a much-needed urgency.
Despite being swarmed by defenders, he impressed down the right and saw his name up in lights when Cole Palmer’s blocked cross deflected to him, only to launch his effort high over the bar.
Estevao's fellow substitutes also added a new dimension, though neither Delap nor Santos could find the golden touch, leaving Maresca with problems to solve ahead of another London derby against West Ham United on Friday.
Dogged Palace get rewards
Having capped their superb 2024/25 campaign with their FA Cup victory, Palace started 2025/26 in a similar vein by winning the FA Community Shield.
But for all their joy on the pitch, off the pitch, they have been in the spotlight, with the likes of Eze, Guehi and Wharton all being linked with moves away from Selhurst Park.
While some managers have opted to leave out players with their futures in doubt, Oliver Glasner backed his trio and almost got an early reward with Eze’s driven free-kick, only for Guehi's push on Moises Caicedo taking him too close to the Chelsea wall.
Eze continued to prove a threat, with a free-kick almost teeing up Maxence Lacroix, while Wharton split open the Blues’ midfield with a through-ball into Mateta, though Sanchez kept things goalless.
Palace were content to play the second half on the counter, with Eze often the orchestrator, though he fired his last shot straight at Sanchez.
Glasner will be buoyed by that performance ahead of their first European campaign in the Conference League playoffs against Fredrikstad on Thursday, before facing Nottingham Forest in their next league match next Sunday.
Club reports
Chelsea report | Crystal Palace report
What the managers said
Enzo Maresca: “We always try to win the game. Unfortunately, we didn’t win but overall we deserved [to].
“We created enough chances in the first half and the second half. Apart from the free-kick, we didn’t concede any [clear-cut] chances.
“But at the same time, we know how tough they are, how well organised they are, and that is why in the last two finals they have beaten Liverpool and Manchester City.”
Oliver Glasner: “I'm very pleased with the performance today for most of the time,” the Manager told his post-match press conference.
“I think just at the end, we lost the ball too quickly and gave them two or three chances, but the defensive work was excellent, the players did a great job.”
Next fixtures
Key facts
Chelsea have started a Premier League season with a goalless draw for the first time since doing so against Stoke in the 2011/12 campaign, while for Crystal Palace, it’s the first time since their 2019/20 opener against Everton.
There were 31 shots in this goalless draw between Chelsea and Palace, the most shots without scoring in a Matchweek 1 Premier League match since Burnley vs Southampton in 2018/19 (34).
Having kept consecutive clean sheets at the end of the 2024/25 season, Chelsea have now kept three in a row in the Premier League for the first time since February 2023, when they were managed by Graham Potter.
Since the start of last season, no Premier League team have drawn more matches than Palace (15), with the Eagles now drawing five of their last seven matches (W2).