Chelsea fans sing ‘we are staying up’ as Kai Havertz secures rare win, but £37m signing Benoit Badiashile steals the show in assured debut against Crystal Palace
Chelsea fans sang 'we are staying up' after a Kai Havertz goal against Crystal Palace ended worrying baron run.
The Blues had lost back-to-back Premier League games after a draw against Nottingham Forest, but managed to stop the rot against their fellow London side with a 1-0 win.
It appeared to be turning into another painful afternoon for under-pressure manager Graham Potter, but he ended up with Havertz to thank.
The German leapt highest to meet a Hakim Ziyech cross with his head, sparking some rather amusing chants from the home crowd.
'We've scored a goal!' and 'We are staying up' began to be sung around the stadium in a sarcastic response to a dire run of form.
The win is just Chelsea's second in nine games, but there were plenty of positives to take from the match.
The fixture began with tributes to club legend Gianluca Vialli and the unveiling of £88million signing Mykhailo Mudryk, but it was another new arrival who stole the show.
Benoit Badiashile looked extremely assured on his debut being picked over Kalidou Koulibaly, the £37m defensive reinforcement from Monaco barely put a foot wrong.
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That was with a big thanks to defensive partner Thiago Silva, though, with the 38-year-old crucial late on as Palace piled on the pressure.
Elsewhere, Kepa Arrizabalaga shone after his costly mistake against Fulham, making two big saves from long range efforts.
Ziyech also starred after his World Cup heroics with Morocco, giving Potter something to build upon as he still tries to work out his best team.
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