So often Alvaro Morata has had a haunted look, struggling to cope with the Premier League it seems, but the Chelsea striker scored two predatory goals to beat Crystal Palace and lift his unbeaten side to second in the table. He showed a killer’s instinct even if he should have had a hat-trick as, in the last minute, he attempted to chip goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey when clean through. Hennessey saved.
MORATA GETS HIS SECOND!
2-1 [65’] #CHECRY pic.twitter.com/ez22G2jbA0
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 4, 2018
There was also a goal from another Spaniard, Pedro, although it was not until Eden Hazard came on a second-half substitute, having overcome his back problems, that Chelsea looked a sustained threat.
Morata’s goals represent the first time he has scored twice in one game for Chelsea since his record £57million from Real Madrid in the summer of 2017. It is now four goals in four games from Morata and although he is a long way from obtaining the status of previous Chelsea centre-forwards such as Didier Drogba or Diego Costa this was much more like the return the club expected from him.
“Maurizio” rang around Stamford Bridge after Chelsea’s third goal and this result also meant that Maurizio Sarri has equalled Frank Clark’s managerial record, set with Nottingham Forest in 1994, of being unbeaten in his first 11 games in the Premier League.
Nevertheless Sarri was chewing hard on a cigarette butt, as he does at times of stress, on the touchline until just after the half hour when Chelsea claimed the lead.
It was the kind of goal where the laws go against one team with Palace, effectively, penalised for cutting out a cross. If the ball from Pedro had ran through to Morata he would have been ruled out for offside but James Tomkins was not to know that as he dived to head away. Unfortunately for him his attempted clearance went straight to Pedro who sent the ball in for Morata who took a deft touch, swivelled and fired his shot low past Hennessey before Aaron Wan-Bissaka could cover.
Up until then Chelsea had struggled to impose themselves. Palace were set up to counter, with Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend as a front two and the former twice created opportunities for Max Meyer. For the first the German was teed up on the edge of the penalty area but shot over and for the second he was found with a clever first time pass only for David Luiz to block.