The white shirts of Chelsea were like ghosts in the south London fog but there was nothing ethereal about their football. A third one-nil on the bounce secured a club record 11th successive win to further cement their place at the Premier League summit.

Crystal Palace gave a spirited performance but once Chelsea struck through Diego Costa shortly before half-time victory always seemed inevitable. The football was for the most part prosaic rather than poetic but the leaders could have scored more goals and never looked like conceding one.

While Chelsea have secured 33 points from 33 Palace have gleaned just five. A year ago Palace were seventh and Chelsea 16th. Twelve months on Chelsea, with a new manager, are top; Palace, with the same one, on the brink of the relegation zone, which is also where they finished in May. Poor results and new owners is a worrying combination for any manager and Alan Pardew is now in grave danger. He will have been gratified to see his team show noticeably more vim and ambition than in the midweek defeat to Manchester United, certainly enough to mute any crowd discontent, but in the end they were clearly second best.

Pardew recalled Jason Puncheon and Joe Ledley. The changes sharpened Palace and the pair were involved in the 21st-minute move which should have ended with the home side taking the lead.

Puncheon, wide left, aid the ball back infield to Ledley who found Johan Cabaye. The Frenchman, vastly improved from his midweek display, rolled a perfectly weighted pass inside Marcos Alonso for the overlapping Martin Kelly to run on to. His cross picked out Puncheon arriving at speed only for the forward to skew his shot weakly wide.

Chelsea at that point had offered only a David Luiz free-kick into the wall. Antonio Conte recalled Nemanja Matic after suspension for Cesc Fabregas while Eden Hazard returned after injury. Not that Hazard was involved in a first half when Palace targeted his reluctance to tack back. Kelly, given the freedom of the right flank, set up another fine chance which James McArthur headed wide.

Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Show all 23 1 /23 Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Wayne Hennessey: 5 out of 10 Lost confidence after conceding, and should have done better with Chelsea's third. Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Joel Ward: 7 out of 10 Impressed, both in defence and in delivering from the right flank, before the game was up. 2016 Getty Images Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Scott Dann: 6 out of 10 Never stopped fighting in a lost cause. 2015 Getty Images Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Damien Delaney: 6 out of 10 Held back by an early yellow card, he lost this season's round two with Costa. 2016 Getty Images Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Pape Souare: 5 out of 10 Ended the game flat on his back, and the preceding 90 minutes weren't much better. Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings James McArthur: 6 out of 10 Showed his worth in protecting the defence and supporting the attack. 2016 Getty Images Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Mile Jedinak: 5 out of 10 Chased shadows in midfield before being booked and replaced. 2016 Getty Images Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Jason Puncheon: 7 out of 10 The most likely to make something happen for Palace, he was let down by his teammates' finishing. 2016 Getty Images Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Wilfried Zaha: 5 out of 10 Frustrated down the flank, his crossing and shooting lacked assertiveness. 2015 Getty Images Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Lee Chung-Yong: 5 out of 10 Tidy in possession, but his final ball was often inaccurate. 2016 Getty Images Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Fraizer Campbell: 5 out of 10 His manager wants a striker this transfer window, and this performance will not convince him otherwise. 2016 Getty Images Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Thibaut Courtois: 6 out of 10 Had little to do in facing Palace's makeshift attack. Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Branislav Ivanovic: 6 out of 10 Uncompromising in his defensive duel with Zaha. 2015 Getty Images Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Kurt Zouma: 8 out of 10 Made some crucial first-half interceptions as Palace threatened to counter. Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings John Terry: 7 out of 10 Utilised all of his experience to marshal his team to victory. 7 2016 Getty Images Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta: 7 out of 10 A tidy performance at left-back where he showed a new willingness to get forward. Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Cesc Fabregas: 8 out of 10 Demonstrated his true ability at times, most notably with a lovely through ball in the build-up to Oscar's opener. 2016 Getty Images Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings John Obi Mikel: 7 out of 10 Fortunate to escape a red card, let alone a yellow, but displayed his usual positional discipline to full effect. 2016 Getty Images Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Willian: 9 out of 10 A very good performance that sparked into a great one during ten second half minutes in which he scored one and made one. Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Oscar: 8 out of 10 A continual nuisance in and around the Palace box, he set Chelsea on their way to success. 8 2016 Getty Images Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Eden Hazard: 5 out of 10 Lasted just 16 minutes in what was one of his better performances this season. 5 2016 Getty Images Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Diego Costa: 9 out of 10 Showed rare maturity in dealing both with Delaney's physical presence, and setting up the first goal. Deserved his when it came. 2016 Getty Images Crystal Palace vs Chelsea player ratings Best off the bench: Pedro 7 out of 10 Replaced Hazard, and immediately showed an attacking intent. GETTY IMAGES

A breakthrough seemed imminent. The Palace Ultras banged their drums and chanted away, the Sainsbury’s End opposite them raised the volume in reply. Then Chelsea struck. Wilfried Zaha was dispossessed on one flank and the ball switched to Cesar Azpilicueta on the other. His sent a high hanging cross into the fog, and when it came down Costa rose above Kelly and Scott Dann to loop a header over a fatally uncertain Wayne Hennessey. It was his 13th league goal of the campaign, already exceeding last season’s tally.

Costa protested his innocence but saw his name taken regardless (Getty)

At the break Pardew reminded his men they had more than matched the leaders and Palace reappeared bristling with intent rather than accepting their fate. Cabaye stretched Courtois from 20 yards and they pressed on both flanks, seeing to get behind Chelsea’s wing-backs. Given the contrasting skills of Zaha and Puncheon this was as good a test as Chelsea’s remodelled defence has received in the winning run, but it withstood the examination.

Delaney tried but failed to keep Costa's effort from crossing the line (Getty)

At the other end Kante had already worried Hennessey with a fizzing shot. As they stepped a gear Alonso hit the side netting and substitute Fabregas hit a scuttling shot Hennessey saved nervously. Suddenly the Welsh No.1 was busy, saving much more smartly from Kante and Fabregas as Chelsea sought to kill the game. Only the crossbar prevented then doing so with seven minutes left, Alonso whipping a free-kick against it.

Five minutes’ injury time gave Palace hope. They roused themselves for one last effort. They won a free-kick in a dangerous position. But Townsend launched it into the stratosphere as if he were Andy Farrell at Twickenham and the game was done.

Conte saluted Chelsea's travelling support after the final whistle (Getty)

In times past this would have been the perfect day for Costa as he also picked up a booking, triggering a suspension that will rule him out of the Boxing Day fixture with Bournemouth. Modern players, however, are less inclined to over-indulge on the sherry and mince pies, and with their team playing as well as this both he and N’Golo Kante - who suffered the same fate - are more likely regret the enforced break.

Teams

Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1): Hennessey; Kelly Fryers, 83), Dann, Delaney, Ward; Cabaye (Campbell, 79), Ledley; Zaha, McArthur, Puncheon (Townsend, 76); Benteke.

Chelsea (3-4-3): Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill; Moses (Ivanovic, 79), Kante, Matic, Alonso; Willian (Fabregas, 65), Costa (Batshuayi, 89), Hazard.