'We should have killed the game' – Sancho rues Chelsea draw at Palace

Jadon Sancho was left frustrated by Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, believing his side should have killed off the game much earlier.

Cole Palmer put the visitors one up after 14 minutes following an excellent Sancho assist, but Jean-Philippe Mateta equalised eight minutes from time at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

The Blues missed several opportunities to double their lead and the winger revealed there was plenty of disappointment in the away dressing room as they went a fourth straight Premier League game without a win.

Sancho said: "I thought we played quite well and controlled a lot of the game, so it was very frustrating to concede late on.

"As the manager just said in the dressing room, we have to kill off the game in the second half.

"I think if we got the second goal we would have been more relaxed and they would have come out more and that would have created more space in behind for us. That didn't happen unfortunately.

"We still created so many chances in front of goal but it is about getting the end product of it."

Of his assist, Sancho added: "I came inside the pitch to receive the ball and I let it run through my legs.

"The defender was right behind me and hasn't read the ball going behind him so I ran to reach it and found Cole in the middle. Then he does what he does."

Palmer's goal was the only one of Chelsea's 15 attempts during the game that was on target.

That meant the Blues registered their fewest shots on target in a game they have scored in since October 2021.

Boss Enzo Maresca acknowledged his side's profligacy in front of goal but believes as long as his side are creating chances then they should not struggle to score for long.

He said: "The important thing is to create chances because that means we are doing the right things, but then you need to take those chances. 

"We try to be even more intense during the week when we are preparing the game.

"It's something we need to improve even if we are one of the best teams at the moment in terms of scoring goals."

Maresca also reserved special praise for full Premier League debutant Josh Acheampong, describing the 18-year-old as Chelsea's player of the match.

He said: "All the players, for me, were good but if I had to decide for one, Josh was the best player.

"He can be a top player for this club. We decided [to pick him] because we saw he was ready. He showed how good he is."

A point was enough for Palace to have avoided defeat home and away against Chelsea in a single league campaign for the first time since 1991-92.

Their manager Oliver Glasner claimed his side did deserve the draw, even if parts of the game had been difficult, with Chelsea on top during the first half.

He said: "At the end it was a deserved point, but we struggled in the first 30 minutes.

"At the beginning of the second half, we did better. In the end a draw against Chelsea is only possible if the whole team plays well."

Palace have now lost only two of their last 12 league games, and they sit six points clear of the bottom three. Chelsea are fourth, having missed the chance to move up to third.