Crystal Palace claimed a late point with a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Selhurst Park as the Blues' winless run continued into 2025.
It was Jean-Philippe Mateta who struck back for Palace in the 82nd minute after Chelsea seemingly cruised to victory following Cole Palmer's early goal.
Mateta's goal further exacerbated Chelsea's celebratory slump as their winning streak stretched to four games and their audacious title hopes continued to falter.
With weather warnings promising temperatures around freezing, it was no surprise when an ice-cold Palmer slid the ball past Dean Henderson to open the scoring (14). Although the finish was impressive, Jadon Sancho's assist stole the show as he beat Chris Richards with a fine piece of skill before finding Palmer with a cross into the area.
The early exchanges were entirely owned by the visitors, with Chelsea's wingers enjoying plenty of possession as they troubled Tyrick Mitchell and Daniel Munoz. The first chance fell in Chelsea's favor, a move that set the tone for the action when Pedro Neto whipped a ball into the area in search of Sancho, who fired his first volley over the goal in the third minute.
Palace grew into the match after Chelsea's goal, spurred on by the Selhurst faithful, who stepped up their own efforts, with Mateta seeing his chance missed after being set up by Munoz.
But the first half belonged to Enzo Maresca's side, who had a couple of chances, with Nicolas Jackson shooting wide, before 18-year-old Premier League debutant Josh Acheampong nodded an effort wide.
Palace emerged the better of the two teams after the break, with Eberechi Eze spurning a huge chance just after the restart. Palace continued to battle for an equalizer, with Robert Sanchez making an impressive stop to keep Richards out.
Chelsea felt they should have been awarded a penalty when Mitchell came on for Neto, but after a quick VAR check the challenge was resolved. However, Palace's efforts were ultimately rewarded by claiming a point that moved them six points clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea, who were denied the chance to skip Crystal Palace, remained in fourth place.
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