Roy Hodgson expressed his disappointment at a ‘particularly harsh’ defeat at Selhurst Park, as two late Chelsea goals saw the visitors snatch all three points in stoppage time on Monday night.

Jefferson Lerma had put Palace ahead after half-an-hour with a thunderbolt of a goal; his first for the club, and the Eagle’s 1000th strike in the top-flight, was no less than the Eagles deserved for a brilliant first-half display.

But Chelsea proved the more efficient team in front of goal in the second, former Palace loanee Conor Gallagher scoring at either end of the half before Enzo Fernandez added a third – supremely harsh on the home side – on the counter.

“When there is two or three minutes to go, all teams do the same: they throw everybody forwards and hope a ball is going to bounce kindly to bring about an equaliser, which I don’t think we did not deserve,” Hodgson said after the game.

“But it led to an aggravated defeat. We end the game three goals to one, but I don’t think that was a fair reflection on the way the game was played. I think it was particularly harsh on the team today, given the performance they gave and given the level of their determination, their controlled aggression and their attitude.”

The former England manager added: “I think we deserved to come off this game with at least one point, but we don’t. That’s how we’re going to have to lift our heads and get over [it] and prepare for the next one.”