Chelsea player ratings: Nail-biter at Selhurst, Zouma saves season

Billy Gilmour (Defensive midfielder): 7

Gilmour struggled early on—likely because he was over-thinking a lot. As the first half progressed, he began to look more comfortable both on and off the ball. The last start the 19-year-old got, he stunk up the pitch; not this time out. Gilmour looked much improved and although it was evident there is still a lot of work to do for the young Scot, he rebounded well from a poor performance. All in all, a successful match in which he kept the seat warm for N’Golo Kante upon his return.

Ross Barkley (Central midfielder): 7

Not Barkley’s best performance, but far from his worst. He made some excellent runs to dribble out of sticky situations, but was seldom an attacking threat. Due to the presence of Gilmour over Kante in the middle of the park, Barkley had to play a bit more defensive than he probably would’ve liked. Regardless, no complaints here as the Englishman added some minutes to his scorching-hot season resume.

Mason Mount (Central midfielder): 8.5

Much like the previous match a few short days ago, Mount bossed the midfield. He played a hand in a lot of the chances Chelsea had—albeit too early in the build-up to get statistical credit for. The 21-year-old looked determined to get back on the scoresheet, but had a wonderful strike saved by the Palace keeper. The goals will come sooner rather than later if Mount keeps putting on Man of the Match worthy displays.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Central midfielder): 7.5

Every Loftus-Cheek appearance from the start of the season to its conclusion is seen as a bonus. He’s getting back to full match fitness after a gruesome injury. Today marked another massive step in the recovery process. Loftus-Cheek’s darting run and beautifully weighted pass to set up Tammy Abraham’s goal was vintage RLC. One has to imagine he’s in contention to start in the next two matches given the way he’s played as of late.

Jorginho (Defensive midfielder): N/A

Jorginho made his highly anticipated return to the Chelsea side in the dying minutes of the match. Despite only playing 15 minutes, the holding midfielder dictated play for the better part of his short-lived night. He changed the pace of play—slowing things down and limiting the chances Palace has—until the end of the match. However, that was at no fault of his own. In the end, Jorginho simply didn’t play long enough to warrant a rating.