The Chelsea Chronicle - Chelsea FC News

While Chelsea’s thrilling 4-3 win over Tottenham showed their class in front of goal, their task of coming back could have been made impossible before half-time.

Moises Caicedo’s heavy challenge just before the break was eventually waved away by officials, however some were convinced he should have seen red.

Chelsea will argue that Dejan Kulusevski should also have been dismissed for an elbow on Romeo Lavia in the first-half too.

The Belgian midfielder was cut on the head, and forced to come off at half-time and was replaced by Malo Gusto.

The change saw Caicedo move into midfield again after starting in right-back, and it is fair to say was back to the ability that he has been showing for the majority of the summer.

He remained on the pitch, and the audio from VAR hinted that there was not excessive force that would have warranted the red card.

They said: “Comes into the tackle. Catches him at a glancing blow and then down onto the floor. So he catches him and then goes down onto the floor.

“I don’t think that’s serious foul play. I don’t think that there’s any evidence for serious foul play. I don’t think he goes through him with excessive force.”

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What Dermot Gallagher said about Caicedo challenge

Given the fact the Blues won by just a goal, Spurs fans will point to the Ecuadorian’s strong-natured tackle as a real turning point in the game.

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher believed a yellow card was required, something which was not given to the player.

He said: “I think it’s a yellow card. I can understand why Jamie Carragher thinks it’s a red. I think he goes down, puts his foot into the ground and doesn’t go through it — that’s what saves him. If he catches him half-way up the shin, he’s going to get a red card.

“What everybody’s looking for now is intensity. Has he got it, has he got the momentum, has he gone through it? His boot comes down on the pitch, rather than his shin. That’s what saves him.”

Caicedo avoided a red card and is therefore available for selection when the Blues are back in Premier League action against Brentford.

Chelsea produced a fantastic comeback win away at Tottenham last weekend, with Cole Palmer central to his team’s success a few days ago.

The Blues recorded a dramatic 4-3 victory away to Spurs in the Premier League. As a result, Enzo Maresca’s side are up to second in the division table.

Cole Palmer, 22, stole the headlines with yet another super performance to underline his importance to the Chelsea squad.

The attacking playmaker tormented the Spurs defence whenever he drifted into pockets of space, plus he scored two spot-kicks. In particular, his second penalty was a Panenka that he dinked straight down the middle of the goal. Maresca even described Palmer’s Chelsea penalty as “cold”.

Axel Disasi predicted Cole Palmer Panenka

Chelsea defender Axel Disasi, who was an unused substitute during the Spurs win, has shared that he predicted Palmer’s chipped penalty just moments before his cheeky finish.

“To be honest, I knew that he would do this Panenka. I was on the bench with Kiernan [Dewsbury-Hall] and I told him he would do this. I remember last year he did the same,” Disasi said via Chelsea’s official YouTube channel.

“Since one year and a half you know the quality of Cole. At this kind of moment, he’s a very chill guy. For you, for the fans, it’s a good feeling to see a player perform like this. A lot of quality and skills. We are all happy with his performances here. We hope he will continue like this.”

Frank Lampard praised Palmer’s Chelsea performance versus Spurs, where he turned on the style in a big London derby. It helped to silence the critics that suggest he goes quiet in the important fixtures.

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He looks so nonchalant when he’s on the football pitch, so his composure from 12 yards with any penalty should come as no surprise to anybody.

Cole Palmer perfect from the penalty spot

It’s now 12 successful penalties out of 12 for Palmer as a Chelsea player in the Premier League. Remarkably, he’s now taken the most penalties in the division’s history without missing.

Chelsea had one of the top penalty takers around for so long in Lampard’s era as a player. Now, Palmer is the current guy that looks unstoppable from 12 yards.

Palmer is now up to 11 goals in 15 top-flight games this campaign, so he’s on track to smash the 20-goal barrier for a second consecutive year. Even without the penalty kicks, he’s a superstar for the Blues that contributes so much in the final third.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has been discussing whether Cole Palmer is the best player in the Premier League.

Cole Palmer has been one of the top performers in England this season and helped Chelsea to beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 last weekend.

The attacking midfielder scored two goals, both from the penalty spot, while it was his deflected ball that reached Enzo Fernandez’s left foot before the Argentine put the Blues 3-2 up in north London.

Following that performance, former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has claimed Palmer is better than Phil Foden.

Enzo Maresca weighs in on Cole Palmer debate

After Palmer’s exploits at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, there has been a lot of debating about who the best player in the Premier League is.

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and City’s Erling Haaland have all been mentioned, for example, and Maresca says Palmer is definitely up there with the elite of the division.

In fact, Maresca thinks that the 22-year-old could actually be the best of the bunch at this moment in time.

When asked whether Palmer is the best player in the Premier League ahead of his side’s tie against Astana in the Conference League, the Chelsea boss said: “Could be but for sure you are lucky to have many great players in England.”

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Enzo Maresca on where Cole Palmer can improve

Palmer’s striking technique looks perfect. When the Englishman is in front of goal, he often hits the ball accurately and with enough power.

It is no surprise that he has scored 11 goals this season and bagged 27 in the previous campaign.

For Maresca, though, Palmer still needs to learn how to get the better of his man-marker, who was Yves Bissouma last time out.

Jadon Sancho put in what was arguably his best performance in a Chelsea shirt so far against Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday.

Jadon Sancho scored in an incredible London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham, helping his side to win 4-3.

Jody Morris was impressed with Sancho’s defensive contribution, but he really shone in attack.

Not only did the winger manage to score, but he was constantly getting on the ball and in dangerous areas.

Jadon Sancho Chelsea’s most threatening player against Tottenham

Cole Palmer scored two penalties for Chelsea in their 4-3 victory over Tottenham, but Sancho was arguably the Blues’ biggest threat.

Spurs could just not live with him on the left flank and the half space next to it. They also failed to stop him from entering their box.

According to WhoScored, Sancho touched the ball more times in the box than any other Premier League player during gameweek 15. In total, he had 12 touches.

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After the match, Ian Wright told Sancho he was back to his best again, which will delight Chelsea supporters.

Jadon Sancho’s total number of touches in Tottenham game

Again, Sancho was heavily involved in Sunday’s London derby. And had it not been for him, then the Blues probably would have either drawn or lost that game.

It was his goal that sparked Chelsea’s comeback and got them into half-time with just a one-goal deficit to overturn.

It could have been so much worse after Dejan Kulusevski put Tottenham 2-0 up before the 15th minute.

Sancho finished the game having had 66 touches in total, which was more than any Tottenham player and the sixth most in Chelsea’s team.

The England international will now be expected to start Chelsea’s next London derby against Brentford on Sunday.

Rio Ferdinand thinks one Tottenham Hotspur player had a game to forget against Chelsea after taking on Cole Palmer.

Cole Palmer put in another excellent display for Chelsea after scoring two goals in their 4-3 win over the weekend.

The attacking midfielder also did most of the work for Enzo Fernandez’s goal, dancing past Tottenham’s backline before his deflected pass reached his teammate’s left boot.

Palmer’s dribbling was almost Messi-like, according to former England striker Gary Lineker.

Cole Palmer destroys Destiny Udogie

It was Destiny Udogie who tried to stop Palmer cutting in from the right-hand side. However, the left-back failed miserably.

The 22-year-old evaded Udogie and the other Spurs players surrounding him and made it look extremely easy.

On Palmer and his battle with Udogie at that stage of the match, Ferdinand said on his podcast: “You can’t stand off him because if you stand off him, he’s one of the best passers in the league. So you think, ‘I’m not going to go too close because he could drop a skill on me, so I stand off’, and he slips it by you from 30, 40 yards. From any distance, he’s got precision.

“But also, if you do go out like Udogie did the other day against Spurs, the left-back goes out there, quicker, stronger and more aggressive than Cole, he couldn’t even lay a glove on him! Twined him inside out, destroyed him.”

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Palmer has also impressed Jody Morris this season, with the former Chelsea assistant manager and player praising his first touch.

Cole Palmer’s dribbling numbers against Tottenham

Tottenham found it hard to contain Palmer, who really came to life in the second half of that London derby.

In total, the Englishman attempted five dribbles and managed to complete four of them, which is really impressive.

Palmer also registered four key passes, so he really did put in a great attacking display.

The England international is now on 17 goal contributions for the season. A couple of goals and one assist against Brentford on Sunday, for example, would take him to 20 before the end of December. That would be some feat and you would not put it past him.

Jamie Carragher thinks Palmer is already on Eden Hazard’s level, a Chelsea legend, and with the form that he is in, it is not a far-fetched claim.

If Palmer can cause Brentford’s defence the same kind of trouble he caused Tottenham’s, then Chelsea have a great chance of winning that match and keeping the pressure on Liverpool.

Chelsea winger Jadon Sancho scored a fantastic goal against Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend, but that was not the aspect of his performance that impressed Jody Morris.

It was a vital goal for Chelsea, who had found themselves 2-0 down less than 15 minutes into the game.

Had Jadon Sancho not scored and the Blues went into half-time with a two-goal deficit, they could have easily left the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with no points.

Chelsea’s staff told Sancho to be more greedy with the ball, and the 24-year-old took their advice in north London as he went on a good run before firing past Fraser Forster.

Jody Morris on Jadon Sancho’s performance against Tottenham

Chelsea fans are only likely to remember Sancho’s excellent strike in that 4-3 win against their fierce rivals.

However, for Morris, what stood out to him was how hard the Englishman worked out of possession.

Speaking about his performance on Rio Ferdinand Presents, the former Chelsea player and assistant manager said: “There were moments in the game yesterday that I liked from him without the ball and from a work rate perspective. I think that’s something you could have questioned about him.

“You can question his body language and his production, to be fair, all round. But I liked, there were two moments yesterday in the game where somebody else gave the ball away in front of him — I can’t remember who it was — it might have been [Marc] Cucurella higher up the pitch, and his reaction to then turn and sprint 40 yards to try and get back in… I’m like, he needs more of those moments I think to then make people believe in him a bit more.”

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Simon Jordan thinks Sancho is a great fit for Chelsea or is at least proving to be at this moment in time.

Jadon Sancho can become the complete winger

If Sancho can nail down doing the defensive part of the game, then there will not be too many better wide men in European football than the England international.

Going forward, Sancho is exceptional. He did not show that at Manchester United, but people are starting to see it at Chelsea.

As per FBref, Sancho has ranked in the 96th percentile for successful take-ons and the 91st for progressive carries among attacking midfielders and wingers over the last year.

Like at Borussia Dortmund, he is also starting to score and assist again. If Sancho can do that on a consistent basis at Chelsea and improve at tracking back, then Enzo Maresca could have the complete winger on his hands.

Moises Caicedo was at the heart and centre of Chelsea’s 4-3 win against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

It was Moises Caicedo who won Chelsea‘s first penalty of the game, which Cole Palmer converted to make the score 2-2 at the time.

However, he could have easily been sent off before that after a bad tackle on Pape Matar Sarr.

Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has now discussed whether the midfielder should have seen red on the day. Before the game, Jason Cundy predicted that Caicedo would start at right-back with Wesley Fofana out injured, and that is exactly where Enzo Maresca put him at first.

Dermot Gallagher agrees with Anthony Taylor’s decision in Tottenham vs Chelsea

In the end, neither Anthony Taylor nor the VAR thought that Caicedo’s tackle warranted a red card.

And Gallagher, speaking on Sky Sports, said he agreed with the decision because the lack of intensity in the 23-year-old’s challenge.

“I think it’s a yellow card,” the former Premier League referee said. “I can understand why Jamie Carragher thinks it’s a red. I think he goes down, puts his foot into the ground and doesn’t go through it — that’s what saves him. If he catches him half-way up the shin, he’s going to get a red card.

“What everybody’s looking for now is intensity. Has he got it, has he got the momentum, has he gone through it? His boot comes down on the pitch, rather than his shin. That’s what saves him.”

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Discipline has been a bit of a problem for this Chelsea squad this season. 15 games in, and Maresca’s men have the most yellow cards in the Premier League.

It is something that the Chelsea manager needs to get his players to work on, especially if they are planning on challenging for the title.

Stephen Warnock thought Moises Caicedo was fortunate

While Gallagher thought Caicedo’s challenge was not a red card offence, former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock thinks that the Ecuador international got away with one.

In response to Gallagher’s comments, he said: “When you’re coming together like that, the chances of breaking your leg are very high. It’s such a dangerous challenge. He’s lucky there.”

Losing Caicedo to a straight red card and three-match ban would have been a huge blow for Chelsea.

He has been one of their best players this season and is one reason why the Blues are doing so well right now.

Former Chelsea player and assistant manager Jody Morris has been speaking about Cole Palmer after his latest exploits.

Cole Palmer helped Chelsea to come back from 2-0 down to beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 last Sunday.

The attacking midfielder scored two penalties, including and a Panenka, and did some amazing work with the ball before Enzo Fernandez’s goal.

Enzo Maresca described Palmer’s Panenka as “cold”. It was his 11th goal of the season.

Jody Morris on Chelsea star Cole Palmer

Palmer is a player who has many tricks in his arsenal, and that was clear to see during Chelsea’s win against Tottenham.

For Morris, though, what he really loves about the 22-year-old is how he can beat a player with just his first touch.

Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents, Morris said: “What I like about him is that he takes the opposition player’s position and how quickly they’re coming at him, whether they’re standing off him. His first touch sometimes takes him by people, which is fantastic to have, especially in the middle areas.”

Palmer continues to come in for praise after his performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Gary Lineker even compared Palmer to Lionel Messi following the run he went on just before Fernandez’s strike.

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Cole Palmer’s other strengths

Palmer’s first touch and penalty taking are clearly two of his biggest strengths, but the Englishman has so many others.

Of course, Palmer has proven to be a goalscorer at Chelsea, but he also creates plenty of chances each game.

For example, this season, Palmer is making 2.7 key passes per match in the Premier League. Last term, he averaged 2.2.

The England international finished the 2023/24 campaign with 11 assists and is well on course to reach double figures again.

Maresca will be relying on Palmer to break down Brentford’s defence when Chelsea take on their west London rivals on Sunday.

The Blues will also have to be wary of the Bees’ attack, though. Thomas Frank’s men have already scored 31 goals this season.

Tottenham Hotspur did not make things easy for Chelsea in the Blues’ 4-3 win on Sunday.

Tottenham were actually the side who were in front, racing into an early 2-0 lead thanks to former Chelsea striker Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski.

Enzo Maresca‘s men really struggled at the back and were not helped by Marc Cucurella’s ice skates. The left-back was at fault for Spurs’ first two goals after slipping twice. Overall, though, Jadon Sancho thought Cucurella played well.

Chelsea, of course, managed to win the game in the end, largely thanks to some tactical tweaks by Maresca.

Sue Smith on Enzo Maresca’s management against Tottenham

It is fair to say that former Lioness and Sky Sports pundit Sue Smith was impressed with how Maresca handled the match.

At half-time, the Chelsea manager decided to bring on Malo Gusto and move Benoit Badiashile over to the left centre-back position after his struggles on the right.

For Smith, it was a move that worked and ultimately reduced Tottenham’s threat down that side.

Speaking on Sky Sports, she said: “Bringing Gusto on, moving Badiashile over to left centre-back just stopped Tottenham from exploiting that side and I suppose just gave Chelsea a bit more control, so he’s prepared to make those big decisions as well.”

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Maresca also deserves credit for his use of Enzo Fernandez. The midfielder has been taking up more attacking positions on the pitch recently and scored the goal that put Chelsea 3-2 up against Spurs.

Enzo Maresca has to end Benoit Badiashile experiment

With Wesley Fofana injured, Maresca has had to bring in another central defender into the side.

The 44-year-old has tried Badiashile on the right side of central defence on more than one occasion, but the Frenchman looked very uncomfortable there on Sunday.

Being left-footed, that is understandable. Still, he made Chelsea very vulnerable there and would not have given fans much confidence with his performance.

The above is not to say that Badiashile is a terrible defender, but that right centre-back role is not for him, especially when Maresca has Tosin Adarabioyo and Axel Disasi lying about.

The feeling of a thrilling comeback victory against one of your biggest rivals has not been lost upon those related to Chelsea.

The Blues came from 2-0 down to eventually win 4-3 against Tottenham last night, with their attacking dominance getting them over the line.

It has not taken long for some of the stars off the past at Stamford Bridge to share their joy at what is likely Chelsea’s biggest victory of the campaign so far.

Robert Huth aims ‘Three Point Lane’ jibe at Tottenham after 4-3 loss to Chelsea

John Terry aimed a dig at Tottenham as he celebrated Cole Palmer’s outrageous Panenka penalty that but the game beyond doubt.

Frank Lampard was quick to join in the praise for Palmer, and other former Blues didn’t hesitate to get involved either.

Robert Huth, who won the Premier League twice in his time as a Chelsea player, took to X to get involved in the celebrations, which were very much coming at Spurs’ expense.

He said: “3 point lane” whilst ending with the hashtag: “So Spursy.”

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Chelsea’s impressive record against Tottenham

The win yesterday saw Chelsea make it eight wins in their last 10 games against their arch rivals, with them continuing to have their number away from home.

The nature of the victory is what will be so sweet, with the Blues showing their unwillingness to give in despite falling two goals behind.

Enzo Maresca will remain hesitant to admit that Chelsea are in the race for the Premier League title this season, however they now find themselves just four points behind league leaders Liverpool.

Chelsea’s run of fixtures on paper look extremely promising for the next few weeks, and there is no reason why they cannot keep this immense run of form going and bully their way into the conversation when it comes to who will come out on top in England this season.