Chelsea v Crystal Palace: Hungry Eagles determined to make Chelsea wait

Crystal Palace are determined to bounce back from a disappointing performance last weekend to delay Chelsea’s Premier League title celebrations, manager Alan Pardew (pictured right) said on Friday.

Palace lost 2-0 at home to struggling Hull City last time out and a third defeat in a row at Chelsea today would seal the title for their London rivals.

“Last weekend was below the group’s standard. I didn’t even need to tell them, they told me,” Pardew told reporters.

“It was by far the worst performance during my time here. We have worked really hard to put that right.

“This is one terrific group of players. Our solution this week has been to work hard. Work on our fitness levels, our technical skills and our team shape.” Pardew knows all about the strengths of Chelsea. “I know Stamford Bridge well. If there is a team that I know well, it’d be Chelsea,” he said.

“I studied there. We’ve got to try and produce a performance that doesn’t get carried away in the emotion of the day. They will dominate possession and the two thirds of the pitch that we have to defend, but we carry a threat.” Palace are sitting comfortably in 12th place in the table, guaranteed another season in the top flight.

“We always knew it was tough. We wanted to get the job done and we’ve done that. We need to respond following our recent defeats,” Pardew said. “For ourselves and to keep the Premier League title race interesting.

“They have lost two games this season — one to Spurs, one to Newcastle.

That’s an outstanding record. I think Chelsea, in terms of quality and the team they have, the manager they have, will win the league.”