Chelsea

Will Faulks
Fan writer

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With victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday, Liam Rosenior made it four wins from five games since taking over as Chelsea boss.

If he keeps going at this rate, he's going to change the prevailing opinion about him very quickly.

Every one of those victories has been affixed with an asterisk, often reasonably, because of the standard of opposition, or because of a slice of luck which helped the Blues the win.

But, eventually, the results will speak for themselves. A crucial away game in the Champions League against Napoli on Wednesday is the new man's chance to silence a lot of these doubters.

As well as the caveats about his wins so far, there's been a lot of sneering about Rosenior's style and approach. There's been mockery of his quotes from the past, and videos have resurfaced which gave plenty of people on social media a good laugh.

This all comes from the fact that he's clearly not qualified for the Chelsea job in terms of experience or achievements. He would be the first to admit that. But underqualified doesn't necessarily mean unprepared - and if he keeps winning, nobody will be talking about his CV any more.

Just as there are caveats about Rosenior's victories, there should be footnotes in his favour too. He's managed Chelsea in two games a week since he took the job, and has not had a moment to even begin getting his tactical ideas across. His focus has been on improving the mood at the club and connecting with his players on a personal level - that's all he's had time for.

Despite the laughs at his expense, nobody can look at these results and deny that's been an effective approach so far.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

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Chelsea have completed the signing of teenager Yisa Alao from Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.

The 17-year-old has joined on a two-and-a-half-year contract for a fee understood to be in the region of £500,000.

Alao operates mainly as either a left-back or on the left side of midfield and made his senior debut for the Owls in August.

He has made five appearances in total so far this season for the first team, including starting in Sheffield Wednesday's recent FA Cup defeat by Premier League side Brentford.

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Crystal Palace and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

Palace fans

David: Relegation is now a distinct possibility unless Steve Parish wakes up and realises investment in the team is more important than a new stadium.

Mike: We were just not good enough, Mateta is just not consistent as a striker - he lacks the anticipation that all good strikers have and misses too many one-on-one chances. Sadly we are in the relegation fight and I'm not sure we are good enough to avoid the drop.

John: Glasner has to go now. Appoint Paddy McCarthy until the end of the season and if he is successful, give him the job. Bring back Shaun Derry as his assistant so we have people who are 100% Palace.

Ron: Hard to watch now. I've never seen a team disintegrate so quickly. Second time Jaydee Canvot has cost us points. Glasner has to go now and quickly for we are heading for the relegation zone. I think he has lost the squad. He keeps playing Mateta, I don't know why. Not a lot to look forward to.

Chelsea fans

Keith: Score line doesn't reflect the game. Chelsea are still very inconsistent at the back and got away with it a couple of times. Plenty of work to do but three points in the bag is welcome.

Steve: Nice to win but still feels like 11 players thrown together rather than a team with a style and a plan. The defence looks like it will let us down more often than not.

Kevin: Estevao brilliant. A good all-round performance though I still think we need an experienced striker like Victor Osimhen, a world class goalkeeper like Mike Maignan and an experienced centre-back. Looking forward to this team maturing.

Rohan: Good overall performance. Estevao was brilliant once again. Still some defensive frailties. Hopefully this win will give us confidence to secure top eight in Napoli.

Pundits Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on iPlayer

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal v Man Utd

• Newcastle v Aston Villa

• Crystal Palace v Chelsea

• Brentford v Nottingham Forest

Chelsea and Manchester United are tracking Rennes' 18-year-old French striker Mohamed Kader Meite. (Caughtoffside), external

Meanwhile, Ligue 1 side Rennes have rejected Chelsea's January approach for France Under-21 centre-back Jeremy Jacquet but the Blues remain keen on a summer deal for the 20-year-old. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

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Chelsea have recalled defender Aaron Anselmino from his loan spell at German side Borussia Dortmund.

The 20-year-old will be assessed before any decision is made on his immediate future, but he could potentially remain part of Liam Rosenior's first-team squad.

Much depends on further activity in the transfer market, with Chelsea in negotiations for Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet. The French club remain reluctant to sell the 20-year-old and are understood to be seeking a club‑record fee of around £65m.

Chelsea also have young defender Josh Acheampong in the squad. The highly regarded 18-year-old is not available for sale.

Meanwhile, fellow defender Tosin Adarabioyo is expected to be out for at least a month, joining Levi Colwill on the sidelines.

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Estevao delivered Chelsea's X-factor against Crystal Palace, with Cole Palmer unavailable because of a thigh injury.

As the England man's season continues to be blighted by injuries, the Brazilian teen sensation who joined from Palmeiras in the summer has often looked capable of covering his absence.

Quick, technically gifted and able to both score and assist, Estevao can deliver a lot of what Palmer is famed for doing.

His 34th-minute goal owed to his alertness, speed and then quality to put a shot past Dean Henderson while under pressure from Tyrick Mitchell.

Estevao was then involved in a classy one-two with his compatriot Joao Pedro, opened up the space, as he clipped a ball in behind for his more senior forward to add a second.

He then went one-on-one with Jaydee Canvot to hit another shot on target, while his cross to Joao Pedro ultimately led to the penalty that put Chelsea 3-0 up, and easing to victory.

There is still plenty for Estevao to learn, and he has at times looked hot-headed when matches haven't gone Chelsea's way, or when he has received rough treatment from defenders.

Estevao, still not 19 until April, has also been on an 11-game goal Premier League drought, albeit with the majority of those appearances coming from the bench.

Yet he has produced goals - one against Liverpool and three in the Champions League, including a sensational strike against Barcelona, and now another against Palace. It shows Chelsea have one of world football's top talents on their hands.

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior, spoke to BBC Match of the Day, after his side's victory at Crystal Palace: "Very pleased. This is always a very difficult place to come. Crystal Palace are a very good team. What the players have given is outstanding.

"It's frustrating to not have a clean sheet in the last few minutes - I wanted three in a row and we should've got one, we were 3-0 up against 10 men.

"But there's so much good. I thought we defended from the front, we were organised and were very clinical. All credit to the lads. We can be better on the ball, especially in the first half but in terms of what I want to see from a team performance, it was a very good one."

Goalscorer Joao Pedro, spoke to Sky Sports: "We knew this would be a tough game, they have a strong team. We knew we need to win second balls and fight the whole game. We scored three goals, conceded, but get the three points.

"In the first half we could have played more with the ball, and did not control the game but at half-time the gaffer told us to keep going, play with intensity and when we scored the second we could breathe a bit."

On the penalty Chelsea were awarded: "As soon as I controlled the ball I took a shot as quickly as possible. I saw his arm away from his body, that's was why I asked for handball, the ref gave it and we scored."

Did you know?

• Since making his Chelsea debut in July 2025, Joao Pedro has both scored more goals (12) and been involved in more goals (16) than any other player across all competitions for the Blues.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Crystal Palace's performance

What did you make of Chelsea's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Cole Palmer is not included in the Chelsea squad for Sunday afternoon's match at Crystal Palace.

The 23‑year‑old trained over the past two days, but the fixture is thought to have come just a day too soon for him to recover fully from a thigh injury.

Chelsea remain confident he will return in time for Wednesday's Champions League trip to Napoli.

Wantaway striker Jean-Philippe Mateta starts for Crystal Palace against Chelsea.

The France international has been linked with moves to Aston Villa and Juventus in January.

Wing-back Daniel Munoz also returns from injury in a huge boost to manager Oliver Glasner.

Crystal Palace XI: Henderson, Munoz, Canvot, Richards, Lacroix, Mitchell, Lerma, Wharton, Sarr, Johnson, Mateta

Subs: Benitez, Sosa, Riad, Rodney, Devenny, Imray, Hughes, Uche, Pino

Chelsea are without star attacker Cole Palmer for the trip to Selhurst Park.

18-year-old winger Estevao Willian starts in place of him, with fellow Brazilian Andrey Santos a surprise pick in midfield.

Injured goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen is also out which allows recalled former Bolton loanee Teddy Sharman-Lowe a place on the bench.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, James, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella, Santos, Caicedo, Estevao, Fernandez, Neto, Joao Pedro.

Subs: Sharman-Lowe, Gusto, Hato, Fofana, Acheampong, Gittens, Delap, Guiu, Garnacho

There are four games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Brentford v Nottingham Forest - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Crystal Palace v Chelsea - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Newcastle v Aston Villa - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Arsenal v Man Utd (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction from the three 14:00 games here

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The wheels seem to be coming off in a big way at Palace. Marc Guehi has joined Manchester City, Oliver Glasner has hit out at the club's owners after announcing he will leave and now Jean-Philippe Mateta wants away.

It feels as if Glasner does not want to be there and although he seems to have been forgiven for his outburst about the club's hierarchy after defeat at Sunderland last weekend, I just don't think he is going to be around much longer.

Things are far from rosy for Chelsea at the moment either, and I feel a bit sorry for their manager Liam Rosenior. He is getting a kicking in certain places for some of his techniques and because he has come from Strasbourg, and I think that is unfair.

He's an innovative young manager who has done well for himself, and is hungry and ambitious.

If he was a young continental coach, we would be saying this guy is marvellous. Let's give him a chance.

I don't see everything going smoothly for Rosenior this season, but Chelsea got over the line in the Champions League in midweek and I think they will do the same at Selhurst Park.

I just don't know where Palace go from here, and it is really sad.

Maybe the end will come quickly for Glasner, but he cannot continue to show his frustration publicly every week or two, because that is not going to move the club forward.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Crystal Palace will attempt to end a 10-match winless run in all competitions against a Chelsea side playing their first Premier League away game under head coach Liam Rosenior.

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of their meeting at Selhurst Park.

Palace in crisis mode

The month of January is in danger of becoming a full-blown crisis for Crystal Palace.

First, head coach Oliver Glasner announced that he would be leaving south London in a news conference last Friday and although he denied his decision was anything to do with player sales, the £20m departure of captain Marc Guehi to Manchester City was confirmed later that same day.

Then, following Palace's 2-1 loss at Sunderland on Saturday, Glasner said his squad had been "abandoned completely" by the club's hierarchy.

And then on Wednesday, the Eagles' downward spiral took another twist, with key striker Jean-Philippe Mateta informing club officials that he wants to exit Selhurst Park this month.

For a stretched squad currently missing seven players because of injury, including defender Daniel Munoz, Mateta's announcement is a bitter blow.

The 28-year-old forward has been transformed under Glasner, with only Manchester City striker Erling Haaland scoring more than Mateta's 29 non-penalty Premier League goals since Glasner's arrival, form which led to his first caps – and goals – for France in October.

Six of Crystal Palace's last seven Premier League goals at Selhurst Park have been scored by Mateta – and the other was a Nathan Collins own goal.

The last Palace player other than Mateta to score at home in the league was Eddie Nketiah against Liverpool in September. Since then, 17 other Palace players have had a combined 83 shots without netting.

Palace have failed to win any of their past 16 Premier League games against Chelsea, while only Burnley are currently on a longer losing run than Palace's sequence of seven top-flight matches – dual factors that may mean Mateta features on Sunday, whatever his wishes.

Kings of the capital

Chelsea are playing their first Premier League away game under Rosenior, who has won three of his opening four matches in all competitions – most recently a narrow win against Champions League minnows Pafos FC on Wednesday which kept hopes alive of automatic qualification to the knockout stages.

Attention now turns to domestic matters and a local rivalry in London. Chelsea have already beaten West Ham United, Fulham, Tottenham and Brentford this season to continue a strong record in derbies in recent seasons.

Since the start of the 2022-23 season, only Arsenal (97) have won more points in London derbies than Chelsea's 73, while only West Ham (38) have picked up fewer than Crystal Palace's 45 during this period.

Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer both netted in Rosenior's first Premier League game in charge in a derby against Brentford last weekend and the duo will be attempting to emulate the four Blues players who have scored in a manager's opening two fixtures in charge.

They are Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink under Claudio Ranieri, Deco under Luiz Felipe Scolari, Diego Costa under Antonio Conte and Pedro under Maurizio Sarri.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Rosenior confirmed that players who have been struggling with a virus are "coming back" but they have had to be very careful as some have been "very ill", including Estevao and Jamie Gittens.

• He added Cole Palmer had trained and was "in a good place", goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen's scan was "positive" and he could return for next week's Napoli game, however, midfielder Dario Essugo picked up an "unfortunate" injury in training after slipping and will be "out for a while".

• On if they are light in midfield and whether they need to address this: "Romeo [Lavia] is on the way back, which is great because I think he's outstanding. He's a very, very good player at a very high level. But in terms of my midfield options, you've got Enzo [Fernandez], Moi [Caicedo], Andrey Santos, Reece James - it's not bad. I don't want to bring in players that don't enhance the group or the chemistry we're building."

• After reports linking Cole Palmer with a move away from Chelsea, Rosenior said he's had "numerous conversations" with the forward and he "seems very, very happy to be here", adding: "He's a huge part of our plans in the long term. He's an outstanding player. Every player goes through difficult moments in their careers in terms of injury. I don't think it's any reflection on his quality."

• He continued: "My job and the club's job is to get him in a place where he can consistently perform at the level that he wants to. There was frustration in the Brentford game, not because he wasn't happy here, just because he couldn't perform. He was in pain, he couldn't perform at a level we want for the club."

• There is "nothing new to report" on the futures of Axel Disasi and Raheem Sterling, but the Blues boss wants "every player I work with to have the best career possible. Whether that's moving, whether that's here, you want to find the right solution for every player and those two are no different".

• Rosenior feels it would be "crazy" to come in mid-season and change everything: "I'm flexible, but at the moment it's about what's best for the group and what they're used to because there is literally no training time. We are playing, recovering and playing again. And it will be like that for the next two or three months."

Listen to full commentary of Crystal Palace v Chelsea on Sunday from 14:00 GMT on BBC Sounds

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news