Paddy McCarthy's charges were tasked with overcoming their narrow loss to Arsenal and recover their momentum from an opening day victory over Southampton.
They did so in style through a well-taken Victor Akinwale effort, a right-footed shot with little space in the box which hit the turf before bouncing over the line.
Overall, the game was quiet and neither goalkeeper was seriously troubled - but Palace appeared assured and mature, highlighting why there is such excitement around this group of young Eagles.
Overcoming Chelsea in just their third competitive game as a Category 1 Academy makes this a day to remember for McCarthy and his players.
Lineups
Chelsea: Bergstrom, Brooking, Humphreys, Kpakpe, Wiggett, Tobin (Abu 85), Tauriainen, Soonsup-Bell, Webster, Elliot, Thomas.
Subs not used: Chibueze, Andersson, Mothersille.
Palace: Whitworth, Adaramola (Bello 85), Watson, Steele, Bartley, Wells-Morrison, Siddik, Smith (Thiselton 25), Akinwale (Cadogan 75), Omilabu, Mooney.
Subs not used: Rak Sakyi, Gonzalez.
Goals
66 minutes: Akinwale's strike is all that separates the sides by full-time.
Stats (Chelsea first)
- Possession: 53%-47%
- Shots: 10-1
- Shots on target: 3-1
- Corners: 3-1
- Fouls: 9-20
- Yellow cards: 0-0
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