Jadon Sancho was left frustrated by Chelsea's 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace as he felt his side should have ended the match much earlier.
Cole Palmer put the visitors ahead after 14 minutes after an excellent assist from Sancho, but Jean-Philippe Mateta equalized eight minutes from time at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
The Blues missed several chances to double their lead and the winger revealed there was plenty of disappointment in the dressing room as they went without a win for the fourth consecutive time in the Premier League.
Sancho said: “I thought we played quite well and controlled a lot of the game, so it was very frustrating to concede late.
“As the manager just said in the dressing room, we have to finish the game in the second half.
“I think if we had scored the second goal we would have been more relaxed and they would have come out more and that would have created more space for us at the back. Unfortunately that didn't happen.
“We still created so many chances in front of goal, but it's about getting the end product of it.”
Speaking about his assist, Sancho added: “I came onto the pitch to receive the ball and let it run through my legs.
“The defender was right behind me and didn't read the ball that went behind him, so I ran over and found Cole in the middle. Then he does what he does.”
A point at Palace.#CFC | #CRYCHE pic.twitter.com/z3hbiTpQgL
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 4, 2025
Palmer's goal was the only one of Chelsea's fifteen attempts during the match to be on target.
That meant that The Blues registered the fewest shots on target in a match in which they have scored since October 2021.
Boss Enzo Maresca acknowledged his side's profligacy in front of goal but believes that as long as his side create chances it shouldn't take long to score.
He said: “The most important thing is to create opportunities because that means we are doing the right things, but then you have to seize those opportunities.
“We try to be even more intense during the week when we prepare for the match.
“It's something we need to improve, even though we are currently one of the best teams when it comes to scoring goals.”
Maresca also had special praise for full Premier League debutant Josh Acheampong, describing the 18-year-old as Chelsea's player of the match.
He said: “For me, all the players were good, but if I had to pick one, Josh was the best player.
“He can be a top player for this club. That's what we decided [to pick him] because we saw that he was ready. He has shown how good he is.”
One point was enough for Palace to avoid defeat home and away to Chelsea in a single league match for the first time since 1991-92.
Their manager Oliver Glasner claimed his side deserved the draw even though parts of the match had been difficult, with Chelsea on top during the first half.
He said: “In the end it was a deserved point but we struggled in the first 30 minutes.
“We did better at the beginning of the second half. Ultimately, a draw against Chelsea is only possible if the whole team plays well.”
Palace have now lost just two of their last 12 league games and are six points clear of the bottom three. Chelsea are fourth and have missed the opportunity to move up to third.
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