Essien seals narrow win

Michael Essien marked his return from injury with a goal as Barclays Premier League champions Chelsea defeated Crystal Palace 1-0 at Selhurst Park.It was an eventful afternoon for the Ghanaian who has been sidelined with a knee problem since the turn of the year. The 27-year-old came close to opening the scoring but his shot hit the crossbar.It looked like Essien suffered an injury towards the end of the first half but he emerged after the restart and scored the only goal of the game late on, curling a shot beyond Julian Speroni from the edge of the area.