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John Terry's own goal gifts Crystal Palace victory as Chelsea are stunned John Terry's own goal gifts Crystal Palace victory as Chelsea are stunned
(about 2 hours later)
Chelsea's title challenge has run aground south of the river. A game that was supposed to be awkward rather than terminal ended up exposing this side's inconsistencies, José Mourinho watching in disbelief as his charges' qualities were nullified and eclipsed by Crystal Palace's sheer refusal to wilt. The team involved in a relegation fight had managed a solitary point from 14 games against the elite's top nine prior to this derby. This victory left them just as astonished as it did the weekend's initial leaders. Chelsea's title challenge has run aground south of the river. This derby was supposed to be awkward rather than treacherous but, eclipsed by Crystal Palace's sheer refusal to wilt, the side who had led going into the weekend ended up feeling forlorn. José Mourinho strode from the pitch consoling a distraught Gary Cahill, one of the few visiting players to deserve better, and straight into the home dressing room to congratulate the victors.
When Fernando Torres chipped over a gaping net right as stoppage time approached after Stuart O'Keefe's error, Selhurst Park breathed again. Not since 1990 had Palace overcome these opponents in a league fixture, Ian Wright lobbing the winner that night; a goal from another era. Here the decisive scorer was actually one of Chelsea's own, John Terry's inadvertent flick early in the second half proving decisive with the nervous tension overcoming all before the end. Mourinho lectured a ball boy for time-wasting, visiting players increasingly flustered out on the turf. In truth, the deserved little from the contest, with their lead at the top of the table suddenly precarious. This was a result to confound logic even in a gloriously unpredictable top flight. Palace had secured a solitary point from 14 games against the Premier League's top nine before this match, their winless streak stretching back to the start of February with goals having long since dried up. They had not managed one from open play since that last success though, befitting a contest that deviated from the prescribed script, Chelsea scored one for them here. John Terry's own goal early in the second half had Mourinho writing off his team's chances of regaining the title. He scribbled one word down on a piece of paper, preferring not to damn his own out loud, when asked what his team needs if they are to improve. "Balls," read the note. That summed it up.
Palace had actually stifled Chelsea aggressively for long periods, emulating their endeavours against the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal in this arena, with Tony Pulis's players a blur of feverish energy and industry. Only once had the visitors prised them apart up to the interval, David Luiz and Fernando Torres taking touches before Eden Hazard slipped the overlapping César Azpilicueta to the by-line. The Spaniard pulled back across goal but Joel Ward, who has impressed wherever he has been employed this term, stretched to distract the on-rushing André Schürrle at the far post. The German's attempt dribbled wide, Mourinho thumping the dug-out in frustration with his celebration choked. This was as weak from Chelsea as it was powerful from Palace. The hosts had resisted through the early stages, emulating their rugged first-half displays against Manchester United and Arsenal here this season, and even mustered a flurry of half-chances just before the interval to offer a reminder they might glean greater reward thereafter. Seven minutes after the restart and their endeavours were answered.
Yet that chance had actually been gleaned on the counter from a Palace attack and, while the home side were rarely composed in possession, they gained some encouragement when pouring at the leaders. Yannick Bolasie had already dragged one attempt wide when he rather fluffed his lines from Jason Puncheon's centre, the ball arriving at an awkward height with his first attempt choked and his follow-up finding the side-netting. There were appeals for penalties when Cameron Jerome tumbled under Gary Cahill's challenge, and Bolasie from that of the England centre-half. Both appeared optimistic. The excellent Joel Ward, fed by Yannick Bolasie's pass, summoned a fine cross towards Joe Ledley at the near post only for the Chelsea captain to leap in aerial challenge and flick the ball beyond a stranded Petr Cech. Selhurst Park erupted, the din merely fuelling the home side's conviction. They would go on to miss clearer chances on the counter-attack, striking the post through Cameron Jerome, as their opponents became desperate.
Yet there was rare vulnerability to the title contenders, whose display had been lethargic at best. David Luiz had limped from the contest at the break – albeit with a smile as he high-fived home fans in the front row of the Main stand en route to the bench – to be replaced by his compatriot, Oscar, though the visitors' mood was soon darkened by Terry's unfortunate error. Ward, fed by Bolasie, had summoned a fine cross towards Joe Ledley at the near post only for the Chelsea captain to leap in aerial challenge and succeed only in flicking it beyond Petr Cech. Palace had not managed a goal from open play since early February. Now Chelsea were scoring them for them. It was the reality that few had seen this coming that took the breath away. Palace have been industrious since Tony Pulis's arrival but had remained ineffective, even blunt, against the division's better opposition. Indeed, theirs had started to feel like a steady decline towards the cut-off. Yet here they countered with verve and threat, and defended with such energy.
Puncheon, dragging just wide of the far post, might even have added a second even if the concession had sparked a response. Hazard curled goalwards through a clutter of bodies only for Julian Speroni to dive to his left and push the attempt wide. The goalkeeper excelled there but was beaten by Terry's header from Oscar's free-kick, with the ball flying just over the bar. Quite how the Argentinian saved from Hazard at full stretch as the pressure mounted was a mystery, his leap and two-footed block was greeted with gasps of incredulity, though the home support were soon cursing as Jerome, freed by Mile Jedinak's pass, thumped a shot on to the near-post. Palace craved the cushion of a second amid the tension. In the end, they did not need it with breathing space, remarkably, gleaned from the condemned. "Our results had dropped off, even if the performances had been OK, but to beat Chelsea will give everyone a boost to push on for the last seven games," said Pulis. "The Premier League is the most competitive in the world. The top teams have to play well or they can come unstuck."
Chelsea endured just that, the repercussions of failure critical. Mourinho bemoaned some of his key performers having "disappeared" in certain matches, when opponents have pressed and harried as Palace did so effectively. The same had happened, he suggested, in all their league defeats this term bar the loss at Aston Villa in their previous away game that he will always insist was born of a freakishly poor performance from the referee.
Certainly, key players were anonymous. Fernando Torres's sole contribution of note was to lift a lob over a gaping net as full-time approached, the striker having been carelessly gifted possession by Stuart O'Keefe. Furious occasions such as this tend to pass the Spaniard by and, other than that chance, he never represented a threat in the area.
Yet he was not alone in fluffing his lines. André Schürrle was thwarted at his clearest sight of goal by Ward's lunge, the ball dribbling wide, but none of the visitors' forwards had the bite to make their mark. Even Eden Hazard was peripheral for long periods, briefly rousing himself to curl a wicked shot through a clutch of bodies just after Terry's error that Julian Speroni did well to palm away. The Argentinian has been consistently impressive as one of the division's busier goalkeepers and he managed to better that save with another from the Belgian before the end, Oscar's choked shot having landed at Hazard's feet. The din that greeted the save almost matched the one that heralded the home side's lead.
There were anxious moments before the end, Chelsea flinging bodies forward in search of parity only to be caught too often on the break with Palace, somehow, contriving to miss a succession of chances to settle the match.
Mourinho's words of advice with a ballboy he considered to have been time-wasting added to the drama, though the final whistle, after four minutes of stoppage time, brought relief. Not since Ian Wright's lob in the autumn of 1990 had Palace won against these opponents in the league.
"For their spirit, their commitment, their desire, they deserved it," Mourinho said. "This is the kind of defeat where we can only blame ourselves."