Report: Crystal Palace 0-1 Chelsea

Palace ended 2018 with a defeat at the hands of Chelsea as N’Golo Kante’s 50th minute strike proved to be enough for the Blues to win this capital clash.

The Frenchman tucked home just after half-time which proved to be the game’s key moment, but Chelsea enjoyed the better of the chances throughout the 90 minutes which saw them hit the goalframe twice and Olivier Giroud find the net twice only to be flagged offside.

A late flurry by Palace saw a golden chance blazed over by Connor Wickham, but ultimately they failed to end their seven-year wait to end a calendar year with a victory.

Perhaps due to the fact both teams were playing their third game in eight days, the opening stages began at a…