Chelsea unveiled six new attacking signings worth a combined £250m in their Premier League opener but failed to find the net in a goalless draw against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
João Pedro, a £55m arrival from Brighton, led the line, flanked by £52m teenager Jamie Gittens and £45m Portugal winger Pedro Neto. Cole Palmer, signed for £40m last season, operated as playmaker behind them. Despite the heavy investment, it was Palace who threatened first and believed they had taken the lead.
Midfielder Eberechi Eze curled in a sublime 13th-minute free-kick, only for VAR to intervene. Palace captain Marc Guehi was ruled to have encroached within one metre of the Chelsea wall — an obscure regulation introduced in 2019 but rarely enforced. The decision denied Palace, who otherwise controlled large parts of the opening half.
Chelsea’s response came after the break as Mauricio Pochettino turned to his bench. Palmeiras prodigy Estevão Willian (£29m) and former Ipswich striker Liam Delap (£30m) both made league debuts, while Andrey Santos was also introduced. All three squandered presentable opportunities as Palace stood firm.
It was a subdued start for a side many expect to push closer to the top four this season after lifting the Club World Cup barely a month ago. The truncated pre-season may partly explain the flatness, but questions linger over whether Chelsea’s scattergun recruitment can deliver a coherent attack.
For Palace, the draw was tinged with frustration after Eze’s disallowed goal but offered encouragement amid uncertainty over the futures of both Eze and Guehi, who are the subject of sustained transfer interest.
Chelsea will insist their primary objective remains a return to the Champions League rather than a title charge. On this evidence, they have much to prove before that ambition feels realistic.
