When Chelsea defeated Crystal Palace at the weekend, they earned their first triumph of the year, and everyone around Stamford Bridge breathed a sigh of calm relief.
With a header in the second half, Kai Havertz made sure the Blues maintained their slim hopes of finishing in the top four alive and helped to lessen the burden on coach Graham Potter. Potter acknowledged after the game that he was quite relieved to see his team defeat Palace and snap their record of seven losses in 10 games in all competitions.
The Blues’ most recent victory over the Reds at Anfield came in 2021 when Mason Mount netted an outstanding game-winner in front of an empty arena. Chelsea’s only victory there in the Premier League since 2014 was that one, though.
This season, injury issues have seriously plagued both teams, which may help to explain why they are vying for positions in the middle of the table. Six Liverpool players are injured, with the possibility of seven if Darwin Nunez is unable to participate after missing the Reds’ last two games with a thigh injury, while seven Chelsea players are out with Joao Felix suspended in addition.
However, unless it results from a straightforward red card, Potter won’t need to worry too much about any of his other players receiving a suspension at this point. Sunday’s encounter between Chelsea and Palace was their 19th of the season, and according to Premier League regulations, the one-match punishment for collecting five yellow cards ends once the 19th game of the season is played.
A player will now face a two-match suspension if they receive 10 yellow cards by the 32nd game of the season. A player will receive a three-match suspension if they receive 15 cautions throughout the course of the season.