ESTEVAO BECOMES THE YOUNGEST CHELSEA PLAYER SINCE 1993 TO SCORE AND ASSIST
Estevao shines with a goal and assist in Chelsea's 3-1 win at Selhurst Park, extending Palace's winless run to 11 matches.
Liam Rosenior couldn’t have asked for a much better day at the office. His Chelsea side handled Crystal Palace, even after Palace went down to ten men, and left with a 3-1 win, Rosenior’s first Premier League victory on the road as their new boss.
He’s made quite the start, too. Four wins out of five in all competitions, and he’s the first manager since Graham Potter to snag six points from his opening two league matches.
Estevao got the ball rolling in the 34th minute, then set up Joao Pedro for another after the break. Enzo Fernandez coolly slotted home a penalty, but Rosenior had to settle for almost perfect when Chris Richards headed in a late goal for Palace.
“Today was a big test,” Rosenior said. “I changed things up tactically, and the way the team performed really pleased me. Most of our pressing and positioning was spot on—pretty close to perfect, honestly.
“They’re buying into what we’re doing. It’s just one game, though. We need to keep this level every time we play.”
Palace actually had a chance to go ahead, but Jean-Philippe Mateta couldn’t put it away. Then Estevao pounced on a Jaydee Caanvan mistake and fired past Palace’s new captain, Dean Henderson.
Joao Pedro made it 2-0 five minutes into the second half. Canvot then got caught up in a handball drama—VAR ruled it accidental, so no red card, but Fernandez still buried the penalty.
Even after losing Adam Wharton to a red card in the 73rd minute, Palace kept pushing. Richards finally pulled one back in the 88th minute.
Chelsea’s attention now shifts to a Champions League trip to Napoli on Wednesday.
Rosenior tried to keep everyone grounded: “You can’t get too excited. There are still things we’ve got to fix, and honestly, I wasn’t happy with the last ten minutes. We should have controlled the game better.”
Mateta seemed to get some stick from his own fans after the whistle. Rumours are swirling about a January move, but Palace boss Oliver Glasner said Friday the striker hasn’t asked to leave—and they won’t let him go unless they have a replacement ready.
It’s been a rough stretch for Palace. They’ve already lost former captain Marc Guehi to Manchester City this month and, as FA Cup holders, got dumped out by non-league Macclesfield.
Glasner, who announced last week he’ll leave at the end of his contract this summer, admitted, “The club’s in transition. Since I arrived, we’ve lost four regular starters. That’s just reality for a club like Crystal Palace—it happens.
“There are going to be some tough spells when you’re in transition.”
XAVI OPENLY DECLARES INTEREST IN CHELSEA JOB DURING PERMANENT MANAGER SEARCH
With Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola on the shortlist, explore why Xavi Hernández wants to take over the Chelsea hotseat next.
Xavi has openly said he’d love to manage Chelsea, and now the Blues are hunting for someone to replace Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior got the sack last month after a rough patch just three months into his huge contract that was supposed to last six and a half years. Calum McFarlane is filling in as interim head coach until season’s end, but Chelsea are actively looking for a permanent boss for the 2026/27 campaign.
They're considering some big names. Xabi Alonso’s been mentioned; he’s been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in January. Andoni Iraola, who’s about to leave Bournemouth, is also on the shortlist.
Cesc Fabregas has been linked after his strong run at Como, and Frank Lampard’s in the mix too, fresh off winning the Championship with Coventry and securing promotion.
But Xavi really stands out. He’s already made it clear he’s interested in the Chelsea job. Back in 2019, before his Barcelona return, he said, “I don’t hide it; my goal is to come back to Europe and to Barca. It's my challenge, but I’m enjoying this current project. For me, training a team in Barcelona would be a privilege, the biggest privilege.”
He didn’t just talk about Spain either. “Honestly, who doesn’t love the Premier League? The atmosphere, packed stadiums, everyone says it’s incredible,” Xavi admitted. “If I had to pick, I’d go for a big team: City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, or Tottenham. Klopp, Pochettino, and Unai Emery are doing amazing work there.”
After returning to Barcelona in 2021, Xavi led them to a La Liga title and the Supercopa de España before Hansi Flick took over in 2024. He’s been out of work since.
Now, Chelsea seems seriously interested in the Spaniard. According to The i, the club wants someone who can embed a strong football identity across their teams, something Enzo Maresca started.
Getting Xavi won’t be easy, though. Morocco’s national team reportedly sees him as a top candidate to replace Walid Regragui, and Manchester United is eyeing him too as they weigh options beyond Michael Carrick.
Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso is the bookmakers’ favourite for the Chelsea role, but word is he’d want more control over club decisions if he moves to west London.
COLE PALMER MISSES PENALTY AS CHELSEA SUFFER HISTORIC SIXTH CONSECUTIVE LEAGUE DEFEAT
Chelsea matched a 1912 record with their 6th straight loss, falling 3-1 to Forest as Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice at the Bridge.
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Chelsea hit rock bottom again, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. That’s six Premier League defeats in a row now, something the club hadn’t seen since 1912. Just when you thought the season couldn’t get any worse, Forest showed up with a makeshift lineup and absolutely stunned them. Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice, one barely a minute into the match, and then Igor Jesus put away a penalty, and suddenly Forest was six points clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea hadn’t scored in five games, and it looked like that streak would go on forever. Then, in stoppage time, Joao Pedro finally managed an overhead kick to break the drought. That run was made even more ridiculous earlier when Cole Palmer missed a first-half penalty. Matz Sels, Forest’s backup goalkeeper, saved it.
Honestly, the crowd in the Shed End probably barely recognised their own team. Pereira swapped in seven new outfield players, most of them with almost no league experience; he was clearly thinking about the upcoming Europa League semi-final. But it looked like Chelsea was the stranger out there.
Things only got worse for interim head coach Calum McFarlane. He lost Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho to late injuries, so 18-year-old Jesse Derry had to make his Premier League debut. Then, late in the first half, Derry collided heads with Forest’s Zach Abbott and had to be stretchered off after getting oxygen. It was brutal to watch.
The match itself? Chaos. Less than two minutes in, Chelsea messed up their own throw-in and let Forest stroll through midfield. Dilane Bakwa beat Marc Cucurella with little effort and crossed to Awoniyi, who was completely unmarked and headed it in.
Fifteen minutes later, Chelsea conceded again. Bakwa whipped in another cross; Malo Gusto pulled Awoniyi’s shirt, and VAR handed Forest a penalty. Jesus hammered it right down the middle.
The first half was hopeless, and by the end, serious concern set in after that nasty head clash between Derry and Abbott. Abbott, playing just his second league game, left on his own, but Derry needed serious treatment and was stretchered off.
After a nearly ten-minute stoppage, Palmer’s penalty was stopped by Sels. At halftime, Levi Colwill returned from a major injury he hadn’t played since tearing his ACL in August. He tried to restore order, but nothing changed.
Forest’s third goal came just seven minutes into the second half. Gibbs-White crossed, and Awoniyi tapped in from close range, just managing to stay onside. Chelsea’s keeper, Robert Sanchez, took a knock and left with a bandaged head after colliding with Gibbs-White.
Pedro’s late goal barely counted for anything. The few Chelsea fans left in the stadium cheered, but it was more out of irony than joy.
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