It was a frustrating afternoon for Chelsea as the current champions of the world looked anything but for large stretches of the match.
Crystal Palace have often provided an easy afternoon for the Blues with Chelsea picking up eight consecutive wins against the Eagles ahead of the latest contest.
The tie they had back in August was a day of optimism in the sunshine as Trevoh Chalobah announced himself to the Premier League with a fine strike from distance and the Stamford Bridge crowd took in a 3-0 win knowing that Romelu Lukaku was waiting in the wings after completing his £97.5 million transfer in the days before.
Few have enjoyed games against Palace more than Christian Pulisic however. The 23-year-old had scored five goals in four starts against the south London side and delivered some exciting performances to match.
Ahead of the game Tuchel told the official Chelsea website: "It exists you cannot hide from the fact that it exists that some players score more against certain teams. Maybe once the belief is starting and growing, maybe it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. First of all, Christian deserves by performance in the final to stay in the group and team. Let's see if we decide like this, if it's like this I have no problem if he can extend his run against them."
Pulisic had not started a game since Chelsea's defeat to Manchester City, and found himself playing in a role behind Lukaku, while Kai Havertz operated on the left wing. It was a decision that surprised many given they each played in a more natural role for the other, but perhaps Tuchel was concerned that their tendencies in those positions would see them competing in the same space.
Nevertheless, while supporters may have been perplexed, it appeared a simple decision for Tuchel.
He said: "We need to be creative. I had the line-up pretty soon in my head, and we analyse Crystal Palace and when we saw who had the minutes in the last match, and their shape. It was not too difficult.
"We did not like that Azpi and Callum were out last minute but that is how it is."
The USA international saw plenty of the ball in the opening 25 minutes but struggled to light up the pitch however. Pulisic was unable to guide Hakim Ziyech's cross on target and found himself giving away the ball in his own box.
The former Dortmund star tried to play himself into the game and tried to drive through the centre of the pitch on multiple occasions but the execution was lacking.
Somewhere between not seeing a foul awarded after being taken down by Cheikhou Kouyaté, and picking himself up off the ground it briefly seemed like the American's intensity had changed and he would achieve more success but the half time whistle came too soon.
In the second period it was difficult to see any fluency in the Chelsea side, with Ziyech offering the only highlights as he unabashedly took players on from his position on the right.
The likes of Havertz, Pulisic and Lukaku consistently struggled to make their influence felt, with the Belgian's seven touches as much the fault of the supporting cast as his own lack of movement.
There were glimpses of how the combination could work with some tidy play in the final 10 minutes as Pulisic opened up the pitch for Ziyech to cross for Havertz, who could only guide it wide.
There was little sign Chelsea would tip the balance in their favour during the second 45 however, with only three shots on target in the whole match.
Ziyech had other ideas however, and Marcos Alonso's deep cross found the Moroccan in a box of bodies. The former Ajax wizard guided the looping ball on goal and it beat Jack Butland in the Palace net, in a finishing lesson that Pulisic could have used in the opening period.
Chelsea have struggled to form at attack with consistent potency this season, particularly in the absence of Mason Mount, few showed any ability of taking his place in connecting attack and defence. Ziyech, however, is proving persistently important in making game-changing moments with his third Premier League strike in 2022.
