N'Golo Kante's second-half goal gave Chelsea a 1-0 win in a drab match at Crystal Palace and took them to within a point of third-placed Manchester City ahead of City's game at Southampton.
Maurizio Sarri's side dominated possession in the early stages but were unable to get through Palace's well-organised defence, Marcos Alonso booked for throwing the ball away in frustration after failing to keep it in play.
The Eagles posed their first glimmer of a threat after 11 minutes when Wilfried Zaha went down under Antonio Rudiger's challenge, but muted appeals for a penalty were waved away.