Antonio Conte explains why Chelsea lost to Crystal Palace

Chelsea in title trouble?

After eight rounds of the Premier League season, Chelsea have three defeats on the board.

Losing 1-0 at home to Man City was a blow to the Blues’ ego, but it wasn’t such a shock result.

However, Burnley’s 3-2 win at Chelsea on the opening day of the season, and losing 2-1 away at Crystal Palace were major upsets.

Can Antonio Conte’s side bounce back to overhaul the Manchester sides in the title race?

Man United are already seven points above the reigning champs, while Man City have a nine point advantage.

So why did Chelsea lose to Crystal Palace?

For many Blues supporters, one specific player is simply not good enough in their XI.

But for Antonio Conte, the defeat was due to several factors combining.

First, the Italian admitted that Palace started the match much better than Chelsea. Yohan Cabaye helped fire the Eagles ahead after 11 minutes.

But Conte also blamed lady luck to some extent. He noted that Chelsea are suffering with Alvaro Morata and N’Golo Kante in the team.

And the Blues lost Victor Moses in the first half against the Eagles with what looked like a hamstring injury. That could be a two week layoff for Moses.

Conte also questioned his own player’s efforts in the Palace game. Unlike last season, Conte expressed his belief Chelsea have to up their performances considerably.