Chelsea deepened Crystal Palace’s misery with a 3-1 victory at Selhurst Park on Sunday, extending the Eagles’ winless run to 11 Premier League matches.
The Blues took full advantage of Palace’s defensive errors, with Brazilian youngster Estevao opening the scoring in the 34th minute after capitalising on a wayward back-pass from Jaydee Canvot.
Chelsea doubled their lead shortly after the restart when Estevao turned provider, setting up compatriot Joao Pedro to race past the Palace defence and finish clinically.
Enzo Fernandez sealed the win from the penalty spot as Chelsea claimed their fourth victory in five games under manager Liam Rosenior.
The defeat piled further pressure on Palace, who failed to recover despite manager Oliver Glasner insisting he would continue to fight for results before leaving the club at the end of the season.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa kept alive their faint hopes of a first league title since 1981 with a crucial 2-0 victory over Newcastle at St. James’ Park — their first win at the ground in 21 years.
Emiliano Buendia opened the scoring with a stunning strike from outside the box before Ollie Watkins wrapped up the points late on, heading home Lucas Digne’s cross two minutes from time.
Villa’s win keeps them firmly in the title conversation, with manager Unai Emery admitting the challenge ahead.
“We are competing against Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle, Tottenham… but we are competing and we are there,” Emery said.
Despite the loss, Newcastle slipped to ninth position but remain just four points outside the top five, which is expected to secure a Champions League spot.
