World Champions Chelsea began their Premier League campaign with frustration as they were held to a goalless draw by Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge, despite unleashing six attacking signings worth a combined £250m.
Enzo Maresca handed debuts to summer arrivals Joao Pedro (£55m from Brighton), Jamie Gittens (£52m from Borussia Dortmund) and Pedro Neto (£45m from Wolves) in a front three, with Cole Palmer supporting as a No.10. But while the Blues fielded an array of attacking talent, it was Palace who looked sharper early on.
Eberechi Eze thought he had put the visitors ahead in the 13th minute with a stunning free-kick, only for VAR to rule out the goal after captain Marc Guehi was deemed too close to the Chelsea defensive wall.
The Blues introduced further new recruits in the second half, with Palmeiras prodigy Estevao Willian (£29m) and striker Liam Delap (£30m from Ipswich) both missing big chances.
Andrey Santos also squandered a golden opportunity late on, firing over with his weaker foot.
Despite Chelsea’s firepower, the statistics told a sobering story, they managed just three shots on target – fewer than Palace – though their expected goals (xG) tally of 1.81 suggested they had more than enough opportunities to score.
It was their highest xG without a goal in a league match since December’s 2-0 defeat at Ipswich.
Maresca refused to blame Chelsea’s truncated pre-season – just 13 days after winning the FIFA Club World Cup in July – but admitted his new-look attack needs time to gel.
“We competed until the end. Estevao and Andrey Santos had chances, so that showed we competed well overall,” Maresca said. “For us this was the first real game, so slowly we’re going to be better.”
Joao Pedro looked the most dangerous, having already scored three times in competitive games since joining from Brighton, but Gittens, Estevao and Delap are still adapting to their new surroundings.
Palace, in contrast, showed their cohesion with 10 of the same XI who won the FA Cup final and Community Shield, only missing injured midfielder Daichi Kamada.
Chelsea’s problems were not limited to their attack, with Levi Colwill sidelined by a serious injury, academy defender Josh Acheampong impressed deputising against Jean-Philippe Mateta, though Maresca remains keen to strengthen at centre-back.
Striker Nicolas Jackson, suspended after a red card late last season, was unavailable but is unlikely to have featured regardless, the club are open to selling both Jackson and Christopher Nkunku before the transfer deadline, with Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho and RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons emerging as attacking targets.
Chelsea’s internal aim remains a top-four finish, but if they are to challenge Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City over a 38-game campaign, their lavishly assembled frontline must quickly find its scoring touch.