Alvaro Morata helps Chelsea to hard-fought victory against Crystal Palace
Relive all the action from the Premier League fixture at Stamford Bridge
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Your support makes all the difference.Alvaro Morata scored twice as unbeaten Chelsea climbed to second in the Premier League with a 3-1 victory against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
After Liverpool drew at Arsenal on Saturday, Chelsea knew victory would send them second and in-form Spain forward Morata saw them on their way with two smart finishes.
First the 26-year-old skilfully controlled and converted Pedro's cross in the 32nd minute, then -- after Andros Townsend equalised -- the often maligned Morata lashed home from a tight angle in the 65th minute for his fourth goal in four league matches.
Pedro then sealed the victory five minutes later, ghosting into the box to convert Marcos Alonso's cross in the 70th minute for a Chelsea side, who also welcomed back Eden Hazard as a second-half substitute.
Chelsea, one of three unbeaten sides, have 27 points from 11 games -- two fewer than leaders Manchester City -- and lead Liverpool in third on goal difference.
Palace, meanwhile, have won just twice in the league this season and remain 14th with eight points.
PA
Relive all the action below
GOAL! Chelsea 3-1 Crystal Palace (Pedro)
70 minutes
Pedro latches on to an Alonso cross and picks out the far corner. That's probably game over now.
Chelsea 3-1 Crystal Palace
73 minutes
Chelsea are in complete control now. They've moved away from Palace impressively, stepping up when required after Townsend's equaliser. It could be a long final 20 minutes for the visitors.
Chelsea 3-1 Crystal Palace
77 minutes
Van Aanholt cuts inside from the left and tries to curl one towards the far post. He gets it wrong, though, and it rises over the bar.
Chelsea 3-1 Crystal Palace
80 minutes
Kovacic works some space on the edge of the box but drags his shot wide.
There's a break in play as Fabregas replaces Jorginho and Schlupp comes on in place of McArthur for Palace.
Chelsea 3-1 Crystal Palace
86 minutes
The game has slowed down as it approaches its inevitable conclusion. Chelsea are strolling towards victory now, but it has not, by any means, been easy.
Chelsea 3-1 Crystal Palace
89 minutes
Morata is nearly in for his hattrick, but Milivojevic gets a toe on the ball and it runs through to Hennessey.
Chelsea 3-1 Crystal Palace
90 minutes
Three minutes of added time to be played.
Chelsea 3-1 Crystal Palace
90+3 minutes
Townsend runs at the Chelsea backline and fires a shot at goal. But Azpilicueta is there to block and Chelsea mantain their two goal lead.
Chelsea then break forward and Morata is played in one on one with Hennessey. He goes for the lob, but it's saved. No hattrick.
Full time: Chelsea move to second in the Premier League and continue their impressive start to the season. Two goals from Morata and one from Pedro were enough for the win, despite Towsend's equaliser early in the second half.
For Palace, it's five games without a win. They remain in 14th, three points above the bottom three.
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