Who needs Eden Hazard? Minus the playmaker, who limped off before half time for the second time in the last three away matches, Chelsea looked a far more cohesive and progressive unit, recording their first win since Guus Hiddink resumed temporary charge of the Blues and their biggest win of the campaign. This was much more like it.
Thanks to goals from Oscar, Willian and Diego Costa, the outlook all of a sudden looks a lot brighter for Chelsea, much brighter than the weather in south London today, anyway.
Hiddink, who has helped lift some of the early-season gloom, only lost one of his 23 games in charge during his first spell in charge seven years ago. He is yet to taste defeat in his second stint minding the shop at Stamford Bridge and there promises to be plenty more wins where this one came from if Chelsea play with the same intent at both ends of the pitch.
This was easily their most complete performance of the season, garnished by goals from Brazilians, and it was hard to remember when John Obi Mikel and Cesc Fabregas played as well as this. Nemanja Matic and Hazard both have a fight on their hands to win their place back on this evidence.
Unbeaten in six matches, Palace came out with the bit between their teeth and forced the Chelsea defence to be on their mettle in the first 20 minutes of the match. Kurt Zouma knew little about a cross from Joel Ward he shinned behind for a corner, Wilfried Zaha flashed an effort past the post after Fraizer Campbell robbed Hazard and then Zouma produced an exquisite recovery tackle to take ball and man when Zaha sprinted clear in the inside left channel.
But the Blues gradually grew into the same and with Costa providing a physical and dexterous outlet up front and Mikel and Fabregas dovetailing well in midfield, Chelsea gradually established a stranglehold on the game they never looked like relinquishing. Even Costa and Pedro were sliding into challenges, willing to put their body on the line.
Pedro has had the most shots at goal by a Chelsea player this season and he wasted no time in having a crack here after replacing Hazard, drifting off the left flank to force Ward and Damian Delaney to dive at his feet.
It was his national teammate, Fabregas, who unlocked the defence for the first goal, playing a slide-rule pass to pick out the clever run of Costa. He unselfishly squared the ball for Oscar to score. Even Oscar, who missed a penalty against Watford, could not miss.
Only a smart, low, point-blank save from Wayne Hennessey denied Cesar Azpilicueta the chance to make it two from another defence-splitting pass from Fabregas. The one goal was still enough to give the Blues the lead at the break, the first time Palace have been behind at the break this season.
The magnificent Zouma will wonder how he did not make it two, seven minutes after the break. He had his head in his hands after he somehow missed the target from point-blank range after Willian picked him out with an inch-perfect cross.
Willian decided to take matters into his own hands to extend Chelsea’s lead, rounding off some smart interplay involving Fabregas and Oscar to slam a rising driving into the roof of the net. It was his eighth of a remarkable personal season so far.
It was game set and match on 66 minutes when Costa got the goal his industrious performance merited, tapping in at the far post after Willian’s cross-shot fell into his path. Most impressive was the way Costa did not react to a robust challenge from behind in the first half from Damian Delaney. Perhaps things are really changing, after all.
