Chelsea players Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke were involved in an extraordinary confrontation after the hosts were awarded a penalty during the second half of their Premier League match against Everton at Stamford Bridge.
With Chelsea leading 4-0 through Palmer’s first-half hat-trick and Jackson’s 44th-minute goal, Madueke insisted he should take a spot kick awarded after 61 minutes.
Jackson took the ball but Palmer pushed him away during an unexpectedly sour moment on what had been a memorable evening for the trio and manager Mauricio Pochettino, who looked on sternly.
“Pochettino will take a dim view of this,” former England forward Alan Smith told Sky Sports after captain Conor Gallagher stepped in to attempt to avert more acrimony.
“Who’s the penalty taker? It’s Cole Palmer. Let him take it. It’s not about individuals.”
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Palmer eventually rolled the ball beyond Jordan Pickford as Chelsea cruised towards victory and continued their late charge for European qualification.
The England midfielder opened the scoring with a classy 20-yard strike in the 13th minute and nodded in the second five minutes later.
Pickford’s mistake then allowed Palmer to pounce again in the 29th minute, sending a sweet first-time lob beyond the backtracking goalkeeper.
😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/qCP4uALalE
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 15, 2024
Chelsea penalty row spoils party
Rumours of disharmony have surrounded Chelsea’s squad during two poor seasons in which the huge-spenders have been midtable in the top flight.
Pochettino claimed his players’ mindset had improved following talks after relegation-threatened visitors Burnley came back to draw 2-2 despite having 10 men on March 30.
Chelsea proceeded to secure a last-gasp 4-3 home win over Manchester United courtesy of Palmer’s first senior hat-trick of his career.
The Blues went on to drop points again in a 2-2 draw at bottom side Sheffield United.
