Chelsea earned a score line they would never have imagined they could get this season. A resounding 6-0 run over Everton at the Bridge ensured Chelsea won a game with their highest margin so far this season and doing so without letting any in.
However, this was not without drama amongst the Blues as a 63rd-minute penalty had several of Pochettino’s men scrambling for the ball. Cole Palmer, their usual man responsible for penalties eventually took the kick.
But before the English international did the job, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke clashed over who should take it. Moise Caicedo and Connor Gallagher had to step in to separate the two before Palmer dusted himself up, took the ball and beat Jordan Pickford for the fourth time in the match.
Mauricio Pochettino reacted to the on field incident after the match, “Palmer is the penalty taker. It won’t happen again, can’t behave like kids again. It’s a shame. I told the players this is the last time I will accept this type of behaviour. This is not a joke,” he told the media.
Though Cole Palmer has been the designated penalty taker for the club and have scored all the 10 penalties he took for Chelsea prior to the Everton game, his teammates wanted it because he already scored 3. But his coach has backed him to take every penalty except he decides to give it out.
“The penalty taker is Palmer. It’s Palmer who needs to decide if he wants to give the ball to a team-mate.”
“Again, very clear. Cole Palmer is the penalty taker. The players and staff now know that Cole Palmer is the penalty taker. I am so, so upset about the situation. Discipline is the most important thing in our team. We all agree they [Jackson and Madueke] were wrong,” he emphasized.
“Next time they’re all out…It’s not a joke. It’s impossible after a performance like this to have this behaviour. We have to learn a lot if we want to be a great team,” he reiterated.
Pochettino called for consistency in discipline, saying it “is the most important thing in our team and the offensive players need to show they are hungry to score goals. But this type of situation I am not going to accept. I am going to be very strong. I promise this won’t happen again,” he stated.