SELHURST PARK, LONDONThe last time Chelsea were in south London, manager Jose Mourinho was asked what his team lacked when they lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace."Balls!" was his response.Seven months on from that crushing defeatone that all but ended their title aspirationsChelsea returned to the scene of the crime. Only this time, they came equipped with something a little different to seal a 2-1 win."Big balls!" was Mourinho's answer, writing it down on a journalist's notepad as he had done before. He even signed it with his signature as if to make a point that he fully approved of his team's display.The Chelsea manager was correct to feel so bullish.His team bossed Palace, showing their mettle in what could have been a tricky fixture. The proverbial banana skin.Selhurst Park is a difficult venue for any team to visitjust ask Liverpoolso the way Chelsea controlled proceedings and matched the physicality of their opponents is a major reason for Mourinhofeeling confident this season is going to end a lot better than the last."[I was most impressed with] the way we imposed our game," Mourinho continued. "The way [Crystal Palace] play, they are better than us. If we came here and didn't impose our game, we had no chance because they are better than us [at that side of the game]."The only way was to impose our game, and I think from minute one to minute 94, we imposed our game."We had the ball, we were always in control, we were always very far from our box. ... I think we played very, very well."As we're talking "balls" and imposing one's game, Chelsea were able to do so at Selhurst Park because of Cesc Fabregas and Oscar.There was no Diego Costa due to a hamstring injury, but it counted for very little. One fine player was missing, yet Chelsea's other stars ensured the impact wasn't felt.Fabregas and Oscar were the artists in midfield, playing around and through the likes Mile Jedinak, who struggled to get near them all afternoon.Neither gave a display that came with the brutal force associated with a player imposing himself, yet they scrapped and harried and were the vital parts of what is beginning to look like a well-oiled Mourinho machine.They played with character."At half-time, we spoke about the differences between 10 against 10 and 11 against 11," Mourinho said, reflecting on the implications of first-half red cards to Cesar Azpilicueta and Damien Delaney. "I think their interpretation of the 10 against 10 was magnificent."The way Fabregas, [Nemanja] Matic and Oscar moved to get the good things out of the 10 against 10 was fantastic."Indeed, Fabregas continues to prove one of the finest signings any club has made this season. Whereas Chelsea couldn't unlock this same Palace side on their travels last term, just the presence of the Spaniard alone was enough to cause panic in the ranks.James McArthur was deployed by Palace manager Neil Warnock to man-mark Fabregas but, in so doing, freed up space for Oscar to operate, much to Mourinho's delight."I was so happy with that," Mourinho explained.That move meant McArthur was rarely seen near Oscar, and the Brazilian put in one of the best displays we have seen from him in a long while at Chelsea.Oscar's form tailed off in the second half of 2013/14, and since the World Cup, he has been showing signs of rediscovering the touch that Mourinho adores so much.It was back with aplomb against Palace, and Chelsea were all the more better for what is his standout display of the season so far.Chelsea kept hold of the ball expertly, penetrated and were clever in their management of the game.At one stage, around the 65th minute, a fan sat in front of the press seats shouted, "C'mon Palace, who's running this game'"He was trying to motivate the home side, but in case he hadn't been watching, it was Fabregas and Oscar.They forced Warnock's side to run out of steam, chasing shadows for much of the game. And they dealt the killer blow, scoring each of Chelsea's goals, too.They were impeccable.The Crystal Palace press box may have been filled with laughter when Mourinho pulled off his latest party trick, but should Chelsea continue like this, it'll be no laughing matter for the rest of the Premier League.*All quotes taken firsthand unless otherwise noted.Vote for Garry Hayes as the best established football writer in the 2014 Football Blogging Awards: http://bit.ly/VoteGDHGarry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayesRead more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
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