Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho paid tribute to Crystal Palace, but lamented his own side’s failings and the lack of a penalty award after a second loss in 100 Premier League home games.
Chelsea secured the title with a 1-0 defeat of Palace on May 3, but the Eagles stunned the hosts just when they thought Radamel Falcao had got them back into the game with his first goal for the Blues.
Joel Ward popped up to restore the lead, after Bakary Sako’s opener, as Palace earned a 2-1 win, their first at Stamford Bridge in 33 years.
It also means Chelsea have suffered their worst start to a season since 2004 and their points haul of four from four matches is the lowest by a defending champion since Blackburn in 1995-96.
Mourinho was unhappy with the first-half tussle which saw Kurt Zouma’s shirt tugged by Connor Wickham, but he insisted Palace deserved credit.
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“The first thought is to Palace,” Mourinho said. “They come with everything. They were lucky but they deserve the luck. My team, I think we deserved more. I don’t want to say we deserved to win, because it’s not true.
“The referee did a big mistake. Clear penalty with the result 0-0 and obviously with influence in the result. The one with Zouma that I watch at half-time on television. It was a clear penalty.”
Chelsea are eight points adrift of Manchester City after four points from four games. Mourinho added: “We have eight points less than the leader and seven and six and five from others. In another league I would say game over. This is the Premier League and I think it’s getting more difficult than before.
“The reality is that we had a bad start. Four points in four matches is a very bad start.”
The Blues were unable to add to Mourinho’s record of 76 wins in the previous 99 home games as the impressive Palace emulated Sunderland’s April 2014 success.
“I’m not happy. I cannot say that I had 11 players performing at the same time,” Mourinho said. “Two or three of them their individual performance was far from good. I blame myself for not changing one of them. I kept him in the game for 90 minutes.
“When I made the third change I realise I needed a fourth and I don’t have a fourth.”
