- Blues move five clear of fifth place Arsenal
- Kante scores third of season
- Palace fails to get shot on target
N’Golo Kante’s second half goal gave Chelsea some Top Four insurance with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday at Selhurst Park.
The win pulls Chelsea two points back of second place Spurs and five points ahead of Arsenal.
Palace remains 15th with 19 points, one ahead of Newcastle and five clear of 18th place Fulham.
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After a sleepy first half highlighted by Willian seeing a free kick tip over the bar, Chelsea needed little more than five second-half minutes to make it 1-0.
David Luiz spied Kante’s run and chipped a past over the Palace team. Kante chested it down and used his chasing mark to cut a shot across his body, off Wayne Hennessey and into the goal.
Connor Wickham used a rare appearance to nearly draw Palace level, winning an impressive physical battle and chesting a ball into shooting range but getting his angle screwed up in a poke over the goal.
Chelsea outshot Palace 12-3, and held the Eagles without a shot on target.
[ MORE: Latest Premier League standings ]3 – N’Golo Kante has scored three goals in 20 Premier League games this season – his best goal return in a single season in the top five European leagues. Reinvented. #CRYCHE
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 30, 2018
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