After 1,162 minutes, Cole Palmer ended his goal drought—at just the right moment. Afterward, he had a few words for some “idiots.”
Rarely has it mattered less in a league game whether the final score was 2-1 or 3-1. Cole Palmer’s penalty deep into stoppage time against Liverpool on Sunday not only improved Chelsea’s goal difference in the tight race for Champions League places, but also his personal tally – which was in desperate need of a boost.
The top scorer had gone 18 competitive games in a row, equivalent to 1,162 minutes, without scoring after an outstanding start to the season, despite trying everything. In the meantime, he even missed from the spot, something that had never happened to him before in the Premier League in ten attempts.
Why did he go so long without scoring? “Shit happens,” was Palmer’s succinct explanation on Sunday. The 22-year-old midfielder said the slump only increased his motivation, but he still struggled with it: “When you have chances but don’t score, it feels like you’re letting the team down.”
This was accompanied by corresponding comments on social media, which he claimed to have “ignored”: “Social media is full of idiots, trolls and so on these days.”
Chelsea’s remaining fixtures are tough
One thing is certain: for coach Enzo Maresca (“I haven’t seen a different Cole in the last two months”), the end of the minutes counting is coming at just the right time, after he recently stopped striker Nicolas Jackson. With the win against Liverpool, in which Palmer was already the best offensive player on the pitch before his goal, Chelsea consolidated fifth place for the time being, which would qualify them for the Champions League.
And among the final three opponents are Newcastle (4th) and Nottingham (6th), both neighbors in the table, as well as Manchester United. Newcastle are currently level on points and goals with the Blues.
After that, it will also be clear whether Maresca will get a second year at Stamford Bridge after his first. According to media reports, this seemed likely but by no means certain.
