Crystal Palace 2-1 Chelsea: First goals and points for Eagles as champions are left stunned

Palace received a stroke of luck in scoring their first league goal in five months, ending a drought of 731 minutes stretching back to last season.

The scruffy strike was recorded as a Cesar Azpilicueta own goal, but Palace had one of their own when the excellent Wilfried Zaha struck before half-time as Palace won for the first time this season at the eighth attempt.

Chelsea, who had equalised through Tiemoue Bakayoko, had been seeking to respond from the loss to Manchester City ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Roma. The Blues are now nine points behind leaders City after a poor performance and out from 9/1 to 16/1 for a successful defence of their crown with Sky Bet.

The Blues are also into 15/8 to miss out on a top-four finish and 2/5 to secure Champions League football next season.

Palace, who won at Chelsea in April, had not scored a league goal since Patrick van Aanholt's last-minute strike in the 4-0 win over Hull on May 14.

Their dismal start to the season was expected to continue against the champions, but the return of Zaha from injury galvanised his team-mates.

Andros Townsend had a spring in his step alongside Zaha and the pair tormented the Chelsea defence throughout.

The only surprise when Palace scored was that Zaha was not a central protagonist. Townsend snuck in behind Marcos Alonso and pulled the ball back for Yohan Cabaye.

His attempt to control the ball was interrupted by Luiz, it ricocheted back off the Frenchman and wrong-footed Courtois by deflecting off Azpilicueta.

The celebrations were short lived. A Cesc Fabregas corner was met by Bakayoko, who lost his marker and headed the ball into the ground and the net for his first Premier League goal.

The Blues had another good chance when Michy Batshuayi – given an opportunity with Alvaro Morata kept in reserve for Roma due to his fragile hamstring – headed over a corner from Fabregas, who later fired a free-kick narrowly over.

Palace finished the day odds-against for relegation at 11/10 and also 4/6 to stay up.

Story of the odds (with Sky Bet)

• Palace to win 2-1 was on offer at 22/1 pre-match
• Any Palace victory was available at 13/2
• Tiemoue Bakayoko, the first scorer in betting terms after the opener was deemed an own goal, was 16/1 to net first
• Zaha to score, 25 or more booking points and 12 or more corners was a 25/1 RequestABet offered at half time which came in

The visitors were left to rue the miss when Mamadou Sakho epitomised the difference in the first half. Sakho showed desire to beat Willian to the ball and composure to find Zaha, who finished expertly.

Victor Moses went off early in the second half as a hamstring injury appeared to impair another Chelsea player after N'Golo Kante and Morata.

Fabregas hit the crossbar with a 25-yard strike before Pedro was sent on for Batshuayi, who showed frustration at being withdrawn after a rare start.

Julian Speroni twice saved from Pedro and once from Alonso.

Charly Musonda, on for Willian, had a glorious chance, but, after controlling Fabregas' lofted pass on his chest, fired over.

Post-match reaction

Antonio Conte, Chelsea manager: "It will be very difficult for me to sleep.

"You know I don't like to lose: imagine when you lose two in a row. My soul is bad.

"We must have the same sensation, me and my players, to change in the next game and be positive.

"(It was) difficult from the start. Our start was poor - you have to start with more personality, otherwise you allow your opponent to take confidence.

"We conceded the first goal, then we were able to come back and, in the last few minutes of the first half, concede another bad goal. Then it was very difficult."

Conte on his side's injury problems: "To lose a player like (N'Golo) Kante is not simple because he's able to cover a lot of the pitch.

"Our balance was poor.

"(Victor) Moses is out (on Wednesday) because he's injured (after being substituted in the first half). I don't know if his injury is serious. Kante is still out, and I hope to have (Alvaro) Morata back."

Palace boss Roy Hodgson on ending his and Palace's goal and win wait: "You forget how stressful those last minutes of a football match are.

"It's quite nice to be sitting here relaxed knowing nothing can happen, and that Chelsea can't score now. That feeling is enough for me. I don't feel the need to celebrate.

"I have to stop myself being concerned more about what's coming. I'm off to Southampton to watch (Palace's next opponents) Newcastle on Sunday, so my wife, who is accompanying me, can't say I don't give her a day out.

"(Zaha) was excellent, but it was a good team performance.

"Our defending was excellent, our midfield passing was very good, and the two front players (Andros Townsend and Zaha) were excellent. But I'm not putting my name to the fact that the reason we beat the champions is down to Zaha."

Opta facts

• Crystal Palace scored their first goal in 731 minutes of Premier League action.
• Palace’s 11th-minute goal meant that they ended a run of 640 minutes without scoring from the start of the season. Indeed, in Football League history - only Halifax Town in the fourth tier in 1990-91 (730 minutes) had a longer wait to score.
• Chelsea have lost successive league games against the Eagles for the first time since March 1982, although there were nine years between both meetings.
• Roy Hodgson is one of two managers to win against Chelsea with four different Premier League clubs (Blackburn, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, West Brom) – the other being Sam Allardyce.
• Antonio Conte has lost three of his first eight league games in a campaign for the first time since 2009-10 when taking over at Atalanta (in September 2009) in Serie A (also three losses).
• Chelsea have lost consecutive Premier League games under Antonio Conte for just the second time (also September 2016).
• This is just the sixth time that the team starting the day bottom of the Premier League have beaten the reigning champions.
• Since joining Chelsea in August 2014, Cesc Fabregas has recorded 38 assists; more than any other Premier League player.