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| ◇Call Palmer is puzzled when he was ordered to replace West Ham in the 19th minute of the second half at London Stadium on the 21st. Palmer scored his team's third goal in the second half of the day. Relay Screen |
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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Chelsea ace Cole Palmer couldn't hide his bewildered expression when coach Enzo Maresca ordered replacement during the second half.
Palmer was replaced by Joao Felix in the 19th minute of the second half with Nikola Jackson's consecutive goals in the fourth and 18th minutes of the first half and his additional goals in the second half in the fifth round of the English Premier League held at London Stadium in London on the 21st (Korea time).
Maresca wanted to give key resources such as Palmer and Jackson a break with the game leaning toward Chelsea less than an hour after the game began. Jackson also replaced Christopher Nkunku at the same time as Palmer. Earlier in the 12th minute of the second half, he replaced defender Wesley Fofana and winger Jadon Sancho with Axel Didash and Pedro Netu, respectively.
64 minutes must have been too short for Palmer, who scored his second goal of the season and the only 10-10 in the EPL in 2024. Palmer pointed his finger towards his chest as he looked towards the Chelsea bench. 'Are you replacing me?' was a gesture. As West Ham drove up the line due to the flow of the game, Chelsea, which has many resources optimized for counterattacks, could have one or two more scoring chances. But Maresca didn't want key players to get hurt in the long-term race. It was also necessary to widely utilize abundant resources such as Felix and Nkunku.
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| APYonhap News |
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Palmer shared the joy of victory with Jackson and others with a big smile after the 3-0 victory. Chelsea, who gained 10 points with two consecutive wins and four consecutive unbeaten games, jumped to fourth place. Maresca, who took the helm of Chelsea this year, became the second player to win three consecutive away EPL games in his debut season after Pep Guardiola.
Palmer has accumulated 39 offensive points, more than anyone since September last year when he left Manchester City and joined Chelsea. More than 'monster'Elling Holan (Man City) and Aston Villa ace Ollie Watkins (33) with 38. Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole said through TNT Sports that it was Guardiola's 'uncommon mistake' to let Palmer go.
yoonjinman@sportschosun.com
