Chelsea made it 11 wins in a row with a 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon to give Antonio Conte’s side a healthy nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League table and put the pressure on both Liverpool and Arsenal to reply when they play later in the weekend.

A first-half header from Diego Costa decided a close encounter that saw a determined Palace side fall short, with back-to-back defeats by Manchester United and Chelsea putting the pressure on Alan Pardew.

But for Conte it marks an incredible year, with Chelsea down in 16th position this time last year, with the victory coming exactly a year to the day since Jose Mourinho was sacked by owner Roman Abramovic.

Chelsea has the Premier League’s top goalscorer to thank for the three points, as Costa leapt highest in the Palace box to head in a pin-point cross from Cesar Azpilicueta and nod the ball back past goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

The only sour note for the Blues was the two bookings to Costa and N’Golo Kante that rules them out of the Boxing Day clash with Bournemouth, with the pair picking up their fifth yellow cards of the season to result in a one-match ban.