In the dying moments of the game, Noni Madueke shone for Chelsea, securing a crucial 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace and offering a lifeline in their battle to halt a downward spiral and save manager Mauricio Pochettino.

VAR, with a penalty review in the final minutes, allowed Madueke to resolve a match that had become challenging for Chelsea after Mykhailo Mudryk's initial goal. Michael Olise, a summer target for Stamford Bridge, equalized just before halftime, leading Pochettino to endure another nerve-wracking second half watching his team.

Despite the fact that Chelsea should have wrapped up the match much earlier, it was a game that VAR saved for them. Mudryk scored the opening goal at thirteen minutes after a fantastic play by Malo Gusto, who initiated the offensive transition with a roulette in the middle and culminated with a pass across the face of goal. It seemed to be a comfortable game for the 'Blues,' who had two one-on-one opportunities in the following minutes to seal the deal.

Mudryk missed the first, after a backheel from Jackson, and his attempted chip was thwarted by Dean Henderson. The second miss belonged to Nkunku, much worse and uglier, after finding himself alone in front of Henderson and kicking the air instead of the ball. The Stamford Bridge crowd was so bewildered that they protested for a while, thinking that Andersen had tackled him from behind.

Chelsea had everything under control until Basiashile lost his mark on a cross from Jordan Ayew just before halftime, allowing Olise to head home completely unmarked at the far post. The Palace star did not miss, sending Chelsea into a second half of toil and trouble.

It was a second half that smelled like another Chelsea stumble as the minutes ticked away, unforgivable after the defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Nico Jackson thought he had the winning goal, but VAR ruled it out for offside. However, the technology, while challenging, did detect a penalty on Madueke minutes later.

Eberechi Eze tripped him on the edge of the penalty area, and despite the uncertainty for several minutes until the ball went out of play and the referee went to the screen, VAR awarded the penalty.

Madueke, who had only taken one penalty since February 2020, deceived Henderson and secured the three points for Chelsea. Pochettino's side, with his position secure for another match, climbs to tenth place with 25 points, still ten points behind European positions. Palace is fifteenth with 18 points, three above the relegation zone.