Chelsea’s historical connections with neighboring Crystal Palace

Chelsea entertains one of its eldest enemies this weekend, hosting Crystal Palace in a fixture full of fables, familiar faces and fascinating facts.

In 1906, London Underground’s Baker Street, Waterloo Railway, Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway were opened to the public. As the capital became greater connected, so did its footballing rivalries. Chelsea and Crystal Palace played out their first-ever contest over a century ago, a remarkable 7-1 FA Cup victory in favor of the Eagles. Fast track through the millennium and the duo does battle once again on Saturday afternoon, their relationship and rivalry steeped in similarities and coincidences.

Palace will be aiming to end a run of six straight defeats against the Blues, the last win arriving in October 2017 thanks to a Cesar Azpilicueta own goal and a Wilfried Zaha strike. Roy Hodgson had only recently taken over from the failure that was Frank de Boer, the Dutchman dismissed after just 77 days in charge. The club languished bottom of the Premier League, having lost all seven of its opening games without scoring a goal.

Then came Chelsea…

This was the second of two consecutive wins over Palace’s noisy neighbors—a first since 1982—having also claimed all three points sixth months prior in a 2-1 win. Cesc Fabregas felt that loss more than most, as it was the first time he had scored in the league and ended up on the losing side (43 games).

Stretch your mind back slightly further and Palace’s maiden PL victory against the Blues was brimming with poignancy. March 2014 and another Chelsea OG, scored by John Terry, ensured the Blues’ grip at the top of the table slipped to just one point. On the other hand, Palace boosted its survival hopes by leapfrogging West Bromwich Albion into 16th. This foreshadowed the remainder of clubs’ respective campaigns; the Eagles would finish 11th—their highest ever in the top flight—thanks to the guidance of Tony Pulis, who was named Manager of the Year after lifting his side from bottom in November. Chelsea, meanwhile, slipped to third, the same action Steven Gerrard recreated in that fabled tie at Anfield.

Prior to the Pulis performance, Palace had failed in nine attempts to overcome its city rivals. This included their heaviest loss, a 6-2 thrashing in 1998, with current assistant coach Jody Morris in attendance for the Blues. The teams’ first meeting after that thumping was a triumph for Chelsea,  2-0 on the 24th of August 2004, marking Didier Drogba and Tiago’s first league goals in their new surroundings having signed that summer.

Chelsea then put four past Palace a year later with the league title inevitably soaring towards Stamford Bridge. Frank Lampard celebrated his 300th league appearance with a goal, but was also at fault for the opposition’s consolation. This was only the fourth goal Chelsea had conceded at the Bridge all year, a hallmark of the defensive dominance Jose Mourinho had installed since his arrival.

Above all, the game with the most significance in the past decade was the 1-0 Chelsea win on the 17th December 2016. At Selhurst Park, the Blues equaled their club record of 11 straight victories, taking their overall league tally to 500 in the competition, a figure only matched by Arsenal and Manchester United. Meanwhile, Palace suffered their 300th defeat in the Premier League and the last that Alan Pardew would spend in charge, who was sacked five days later. Diego Costa netted his 50th in all competitions for the Blues, whilst Gary Cahill also achieved 300 league appearances.

Cahill is, of course, one of many who have swapped allegiances between the two teams. The centerback enjoyed seven successful silverware laden years at the Bridge, winning two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup before joining Palace last August. Ironically, his last game played was against his former employers in July, sadly forced off through a hamstring injury that has prevented him from playing at all in 2020/21.

Before Cahill, Ruben Loftus-Cheek also bridged the gap in a decent loan spell during 2017/18, linking up alongside fellow ex-Blue, Patrick van Aanholt. Loic Remy had also been in the same locker room the term before, having scored 12 in 47 Chelsea and zero in eight at Palace. Remy joins a list of misfiring forwards, accompanying Patrick Bamford, Scott Sinclair and Victor Moses in their joint movements between the tracks. Michy Batshauyi was adored by both sets of supporters, so much so he rejoined Palace for a second coming after an initial loan stint in 2018/19.

One for the history books is the under-reported adventures of Ashley Cole, who turned up for Palace in 2000 as a fresh-faced youngster from Arsenal. He played 14 times, demonstrating his destiny in becoming the finest fullback England has ever produced. His legacy at Chelsea hardly needs reminding, but let’s do it anyway: Premier League (1x), FA Cup (4x), Champions League (1x), Europa League (1x), Player of the Year (2x), Team of the Season (1x), Goal of the Season (1x) and 338 appearances.

Another Blues legend to mention is Bobby Tambling, once the club’s record goalscorer until he was overtaken in 2013 by a certain midfield maestro turned manager. 202 strikes were more than enough to cement him into the foundations of Chelsea, offering his striking services to Palace in 1970. Yet, he was unable to recreate his formidable form. Terry Venables also made the leap, however, his was from playing to management. A bedrock of the Chelsea team during the ’60s, he turned to coaching after his retirement and led Palace to promotion from the second division in 1978/79.

What chapter will be written next between Chelsea and Crystal Palace at the Bridge at the weekend?