Yesterday saw Chelsea’s first home defeat in 7 months as they succumbed to lowly Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge. The 2-1 defeat came as a real shock to everyone, nobody expected the result. This, alongside everyone wanting to see an exciting title-race is probably why more is being made of the defeat than is necessary.

It took a monumental effort from Crystal Palace to take all 3 points, Chelsea dominated the match after conceding 2 early goals following Cesc Fabregas’ opener, but they just couldn’t find a way to get the ball in the back of the net.

Questionable Chelsea finishing, plenty of heroics from goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, as well as a succession of last ditch tackles and clearances from Mamadou Sakho ensured Palace just about kept their heads above water to claim maximum points. But to be honest, if it takes this much effort to beat Chelsea then you can see why they are in the position they are in, and why it’s so unlikely they’ll drop 7 points more than rivals Tottenham during the run-in.

The Blues had 73% possession which yielded 24 shots, of which 11 were on target. Compare this to the 3 shots on target that Palace managed and you can see why this result can be labelled a ‘freak’ result, rather than the start of a dip in form.

Chelsea have been remarkably consistent all season long, but even with that consistency there will still be games like this for any team, where the luck is just not with you. Chelsea still have a very comfortable 7 point gap on their nearest challengers Tottenham, which just isn’t close enough for the worry to kick in just yet. Although they will need to ensure their standards stay as immaculate as they have been so far this season, despite the slip-up yesterday.

After the game Antonio Conte cut a disappointed figure but was quick to draw attention and focus onto Wednesday’s game against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge. A huge game in the context of the title race, but despite the result against Palace Chelsea should still fancy their chances of beating the Citizens, just as they did in the reverse fixture last December.

The players will need to keep their cool and continue delivering the performances they know they are capable of. You can be sure the player’s will be keen to bounce back and defeat City this Wednesday, taking a huge step toward the title and proving the doubters wrong in the process.