Cole Palmer ended an 18-game goal drought with a stoppage-time penalty that sealed Chelsea’s victory over Premier League champions Liverpool. It was a 3-1 win for the Blues over at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The victory is a huge boost for the Blues’ Champions League qualification hopes, lying fifth on the table, level on points with Newcastle United. A fine counter-attack saw Enzo Fernández grab an early goal for Chelsea inside three minutes. In the second half, some confusion in defense led to Jarell Quansah’s own goal in the 56th minute, giving the Blues their second goal.
Virgil van Dijk pulled one back for Liverpool, but Palmer’s late penalty, awarded after a foul on Moisés Caicedo, made sure of the win. Palmer has endured a fair share of criticism during his goal drought, and after the match, he answered his critics on Sky Sports:
“Social media nowadays is full of idiots. I don’t pay no attention to that. I’ve scored today and I’m happy, but it’s only one and I’ve got to keep improving and try and reach new levels. Getting chances and not scoring, it feels like you’re letting your team down. I feel like I am mentally strong anyway. I feel pride in helping the team and if I’m not doing that, I’m not happy.”
With Palmer back in form, and with a win like this, Chelsea keep their European hopes alive going into the last three games of the season.
Enzo Maresca Opens up About Cole Palmer After Chelsea Win
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca spoke to the press after he led the side to beat Premier League champions Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. The head coach spoke about Cole Palmer, admitting that the playmaker had not been pleased about the drought:
“Probably from outside but we saw Cole day by day and he is exactly the same. He is not happy when he doesn’t score because he wants to help the team.”
He further added:
“He is happy because he scored and we won but I haven;t seen a different Cole. We have three more games. Hopefully he can help us until the end.”
