Chelsea vs Crystal Palace

Chelsea have started a Premier League season with a goalless draw for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign against Stoke, while for Crystal Palace it’s the first time since 2019-20 against Everton.

There were 31 shots in this goalless draw between Chelsea and Crystal Palace, the most shots without scoring in a MD1 Premier League game since Burnley vs Southampton in 2018-19 (34).

Having kept consecutive clean sheets at the end of the 2024-25 season, Chelsea have now keep three in a row in the Premier League for the first time since February 2023 under Graham Potter.

Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League games against Crystal Palace (W13 D2), their longest active run against any of the 19 other sides involved in the 2025-26 season.

Crystal Palace’s last victory at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League came in April 2017 under Sam Allardyce (2-1) – since then, they’ve failed to win on any of their last eight trips in league action, losing seven of those matches (D1).

This will be just the second time Chelsea and Crystal Palace have faced each other on MD1 of a league season, with the Blues having won 3-0 at Stamford Bridge on the opening day of the 2021-22 campaign.

This is the fifth time Chelsea have begun a Premier League campaign with a London derby, winning each of the previous four (v West Ham in 2000, Charlton in 2002, West Ham in 2016 and Crystal Palace in 2021). They’ve also won the last two times their first league game has been against the previous season’s FA Cup winners, beating Portsmouth 4-0 in 2008 and Manchester United 1-0 in 2004.

Chelsea lost 2-0 against Manchester City in their opening Premier League match last season, last losing on MD1 in consecutive campaigns in 1997-98/1998-99 (vs Coventry City both times).