Teenage winger Estevão Willian stepped up in style after replacing the injured Cole Palmer, inspiring Chelsea to a convincing Premier League victory over Crystal Palace that lifted the Blues back into the top four.
Goals from Estevão, João Pedro and Enzo Fernández sealed the win at Selhurst Park, while Palace midfielder Adam Wharton endured a disastrous second half, being sent off after picking up two yellow cards in the space of six minutes.
Chris Richards scored a late consolation goal, but it did little to soften a difficult afternoon for the hosts.
Palace started brightly and threatened to strike first when Jean-Philippe Mateta broke through one-on-one with Robert Sánchez, only to fire straight at the Chelsea goalkeeper.
Chelsea gradually took control, with Fernández and Moisés Caicedo testing Palace, while Ismaila Sarr, fresh from Africa Cup of Nations success with Senegal, also went close for the home side.
The breakthrough came in the 34th minute when Estevão punished a sloppy back-pass from Jaydee Canvot.
The 18-year-old used his pace to beat Tyrick Mitchell before rifling a low shot past Dean Henderson.
He remained a constant threat and, shortly after the interval, delivered a perfectly weighted pass to João Pedro, who turned Wharton and finished confidently to double Chelsea’s lead.
Following a lengthy VAR review, Chelsea were awarded a penalty when João Pedro’s shot struck Canvot’s hand in the box, and Fernández calmly converted from the spot to make it 3–0.
Moments later, Wharton’s afternoon went from bad to worse as he received a second yellow card for a late challenge, leaving Palace with 10 men.
Richards pulled a goal back in the 88th minute with a close-range header from a corner, but the result was already beyond doubt.
Palace slipped from 13th to 15th in the table, though they remain eight points clear of the relegation zone.
For Chelsea, the win marked a significant boost under new head coach Liam Rosenior, who has now guided the club to consecutive league victories for the first time since November.
The Blues moved ahead of Liverpool into the top four, albeit having played one game more than Manchester United, who were due to face Arsenal later in the day.
