Crystal Palace 1-3 Chelsea: Andrey Santos performance talked up as Blues win at Selhurst Park with 'new shape'

Liam Rosenior has talked up the impact of Andrey Santos after Chelsea recorded a 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

The Blues went into the Premier League fixture at Selhurst Park on the back of victories over Brentford and Pafos FC, yet without producing a positive performance in either match.

However, it was a different story against their London neighbours as Estevao Willian, Joao Pedro and Enzo Fernandez all got on the scoresheet against the Eagles.

While there was disappointment through Palace scoring a late consolation goal with 10 men, Chelsea were deserved winners as Rosenior made it four victories from five games since his arrival.

Rosenior talks up Santos performance at Palace

Despite not getting on the scoresheet, the performance of Santos alongside Moises Caicedo in the engine room attracted praise.

Although Chelsea played a 4-2-3-1 with Fernandez playing as a number 10, Rosenior indicated that he tinkered with his tactics, crediting his players for taking on his new instructions over the space of 48 hours.

Rosenior told reporters: "I think today was a huge test. I changed the shape of the play. It's hard to explain. It's like a semi-four or semi-five at the back with Andrey in between.

"For them to go and put on, from a tactical point of view, the performance that they did in two days makes me very pleased because pretty much 95% of the press and 95% of the positioning was absolutely perfect.

"They're engaged. I think they're believing in what they're doing. It's one game. We have to make sure that we're consistent in every game we play."

He added: "I'm lucky with Andrey because he's done it for me before. He's done that same position against Marseille and PSG last year but for the other players to take on board the information, that's a different shape.

"They've never played that shape before. I thought the front three were magnificent in their understanding and their angles of press. I felt Enzo and Moi [Caicedo] in midfield.

"The beauty of having Andrey there allowed Moi to stay in the middle of the pitch where I love him to be and him and Enzo at the top. I'm very happy because they put into practise what we asked of them on the training pitch and that's a really good sign."

Santos worth coming to the fore

While Santos was used under Enzo Maresca, Rosenior knows him far better from their time together at Strasbourg.

Caicedo and Fernandez often attract the headlines, yet Santos is consistently performing as an effective go-between when given the chance.

In three of Rosenior's first five games, the Brazil international has completed the 90 minutes. He was also instrumental in Chelsea's recent 1-1 draw at Manchester City.

During 2025-26, the 21-year-old has reached 12 starts and 14 substitute outings in all competitions.