At 14:30 Lithuanian time, the first match of the 17th round of the English "Premier" league took place. In the capital, two London teams met - "Crystal Palace" against London's "Chelsea". Antonio Conte's team continues to be unstoppable in the country's championships - they managed to defeat their opponents by a minimal margin and achieve their 11th consecutive victory. Throughout the match, there was a fierce battle on the field. "Crystal Palace" tried not to give in to their rivals from the "Stamford Bridge" stronghold, but the hosts were significantly behind their opponents in terms of opportunities. The first goal, and as it later turned out, the winning one, was scored in the 43rd minute. After a brilliant pass from Cesar Azpilicueta into the penalty area, the highest goal scorer of the league, Diego Costa, outshone the opponents' goalkeeper. Interestingly, this was the first goal scored with a head by the "Chelsea" team this season. In the second half, "Crystal Palace" tried to resist and played dangerously with the ball near the "Blues" penalty area, but Thibaut Courtois did not need to show miracles. "Chelsea" had several good opportunities to "finalize" the match. As the match approached its end, Marcos Alonso had a great opportunity to put the final point in this duel, but the Spaniard's penalty shot was not quite accurate - the ball hit the goal frame. There were no major surprises in the remaining time, and "Chelsea" achieved another, albeit rather challenging victory. With 43 points, A. Conte's team is the solid leader of the English championship - for now, they are ahead of their closest pursuers by a margin of 9 points. "Crystal Palace" remains in 16th place. Result: "Crystal Palace" 0 - 1 "Chelsea" 43' [0 - 1] D. Costa League table:
