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It wasn't just the Chelsea team that went into meltdown when Radamel Falcao scored his first goal for the club, only for Crystal Palace to immediately retake the lead and go on to win the match, as the Blues' official Twitter account responded in similarly comical ways.
Chelsea looked to have found an escape route thanks to Falcao’s first goal for the club since joining on a season-long loan in the summer. But Jose Mourinho’s side hadn’t counted on Joel Ward scoring a second for Palace to seal the three points.
The Blues’ Twitter account claimed that Chelsea had 10 more minutes to find a winner, and while they were right, they didn’t count on Palace making an immediate response. Soon enough, Ward struck, Palace were ahead and Mourinho suffered just his second defeat at Stamford Bridge in 100 Premier League matches.
Show all 23 1 /23Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Thibaut Courtois Made numerous saves in the first half and, in particular, did well to deny Cabaye’s fine effort. But was not protected enough in the second period and ended up conceding twice. 6
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Branislav Ivanovic Deflected Zaha’s early shot with his leg as Palace looked to get into the game while excelling when Chelsea attacked in the first half but struggled with Bolasie’s pace in the second period. 5
Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Kurt Zouma Was beaten by Bolasie in the build-up to Ward’s winner, but still proved a strong presence in the centre of defence. 6
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Gary Cahill Enjoyed a good partnership with Zouma, and was strong and assertive in defence, however, the defender struggled as Palace went on the attack after the break. 6
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta Kept Puncheon quiet and protected the left flank well in the first half but the defender failed to then stop Sako from scoring the opener. Was taken off in the second half. 7
Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Cesc Fabregas Had Chelsea’s best chance of the first half and also started the move that led to Falcao’s goal with his fine pass to Pedro in the second period. The Spaniard failed, however, to really dictate the game from the middle of the park. 6
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Nemanja Matic Made some key tackles in midfield to prevent Palace’s forwards from getting through in the first period, but couldn’t deal with the increased tempo after the break. Was replaced by Ruben Loftus-Cheek with 20 minutes to go. 5
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Pedro Provided the cross that allowed Falcao to score while also having a shot at goal earlier in the game. The winger also showed his defensive qualities against Palace, regularly tracking back and clearing danger. 7
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Willian Looked bright in the first half, linking up well with Hazard and Pedro but was hauled off and replaced by Falcao in the second period as Chelsea searched for an equaliser. 5
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Eden Hazard Was restricted by Palace’s midfielders and struggled to find the spaces to break open the visitors’ defence but worked hard for the champions. 6
Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Diego Costa Settled into the game more as the match progressed and had a penalty appeal turned down after Delaney had fouled him in the area in the second half. 5
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Best off the bench: Radamel Falcao Replaced Willian and scored his first goal for his new club with a fine diving header to level the score. However, he later misdirected Ivanovic’s shot that was headed into the goal. 8
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Alex McCarthy The Palace goalkeeper was in fine form in the first half, making a one-handed save to deny Costa from close range. He also dealt with Fabregas’ early effort and was the reason Palace went into the break without having conceded. 8
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Joel Ward The right-back kept Hazard quiet in the first period, defending with composure and providing a strong presence on left flank. He also got involved with Palace’s attacks when he could and capped off his day with a fine header that clinched all three points for the visitors. 8
Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Scott Dann Made some good blocks early on and did well to clear a late shot with Palace leading 2-1. 7
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Damien Delaney The centre-back matched Costa for strength and put in an impressive defensive display throughout the game. 7
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Pape N'Diaye Souare The left-back had a very good game – exemplified by when he matched Costa for pace as the striker went forward to attack on a counter in th first half. 7
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Yohan Cabaye Had Palace’s best chances of the first period, with Courtois twice denying him. 6
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings James McArthur Made life difficult for Hazard by restricting the space for the Belgian as well as Chelsea’s other forwards and making some important tackles in midfield. 7
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Wilfried Zaha Provided Palace with pace on the left, but could not truly threaten Chelsea’s goal. 6
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Jason Puncheon Kept quiet by Azpilicueta on the right wing. 5
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Bakary Sako Was a nuisance for Chelsea’s defenders as he kept drifting from the middle of the pitch to the left and then got the breakthrough when he scored in the second half. 8
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Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 2 player ratings Connor Wickham Defended well at set pieces, but didn’t really threaten in attack for the visitors. 6
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The account was quick to praise the Colombia international for netting the equaliser, but clearly hadn’t counted on the Eagles finding another goal.
The defeat means that Chelsea are now eight points off Premier League leaders Manchester City, and leaves them with a lot of work to do so early in the season if they are to defend their title.
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