Chelsea were stifled by a stubborn Crystal Palace outfit at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon, as the two teams played out a goalless draw. Both teams entered the opening weekend with springs in their steps off the back of successful summers.

Eberechi Eze only had one thought in his head.

However, they will be more encouraged by the figure of 1.81 expected goals (xG), which was superior to Palace's 1.07, and was the Blues' highest xG figure without scoring in a league match in 2025.

The rule has been in place since 2019 and yet not too many inside Stamford Bridge on Sunday would have been familiar with it.

Eberechi Eze is expected to start for Crystal Palace against Chelsea despite Tottenham Hotspur stepping up talks to sign the England forward.

It is understood Tottenham are negotiating an offer slightly below the total release figure.