Conor Gallagher returned to Selhurst Park to haunt Crystal Palace with a stunning late winner to give Graham Potter a controversial first win as Chelsea boss.
Substitute Gallagher, who impressed on loan at Palace last season, curled home a superb right-footed effort to snatch victory for Chelsea with his first goal for the club.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also scored his first Chelsea goal on his Premier League return after Odsonne Edouard had poked Palace into an early lead.
However, there was controversy surrounding Aubameyang’s goal as it was set up by Thiago Silva, who Palace felt should have been sent off for a deliberate handball which denied Jordan Ayew a possible goalscoring opportunity.
And while Chelsea looked settled in possession early on, Palace took the lead with their first attack. Edouard pounced on a loose Wesley Fofana pass and found Ayew on the right. The Ghanaian’s dipping cross found Edouard, who stretched to poke the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga.
With their tails up, the home side – who lost Nathaniel Clyne to a serious-looking injury before half-time – immediately pressed for a second as Kepa turned Eberechi Eze’s shot from distance around the post with the Palace attacker firing narrowly wide from the resultant corner.
Wilfried Zaha forced a sharp save from Kepa in the second half but Palace were unable to put the Chelsea defense under enough pressure, before Gallagher popped up to rub salt in the home side’s wounds and get Potter off the mark as Blues boss.
