Enzo Maresca and Cole Palmer were both left feeling frustrated during Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Sunday.
Maresca was unhappy with Nicolas Jackson after the striker saw red in the 36th minute. Chelsea were already 1-0 down at that point.
As for Palmer, the attacking midfielder could not influence the game the way that he normally does.
Palmer was really frustrated in the first half, and that became very visible towards the end of it and during the break.
Cole Palmer approached referee John Brooks on his way to the tunnel
There were clearly some things that Palmer was unhappy about during the first 45 minutes at St James’ Park.
As per football.london, the 23-year-old was starting to get “increasingly agitated” as the game went on and made his way towards referee John Brooks at half-time instead of heading straight down the tunnel.
One thing that Palmer should not have been complaining about, though, is Jackson’s sending off. After going into a challenge with his elbow, it was a clear red card.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has since backed Brooks’ decision to dismiss Jackson, as have others in and around the game.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe thought Jackson deserved to see red as well, for example.
With the Senegal international now suspended for Chelsea’s final two Premier League matches of the season, it will be up to the likes of Palmer, Pedro Neto and Noni Madueke to fire the club back into the Champions League.
Cole Palmer’s numbers vs Newcastle
The Newcastle defeat was not Palmer’s worst game. In fact, he was probably Chelsea’s best attacker on the afternoon.
The former Manchester City man was able to register one key pass and get a shot on target. However, the Magpies did manage to neutralise him for most of the match.
| Cole Palmer vs Newcastle | Total |
| Minutes | 90 |
| Key passes | 1 |
| Crosses (accurate) | 4 (0) |
| Shots on target | 1 |
| Dribble attempts (successful) | 4 (1) |
Palmer needs to be more effective against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest; otherwise, Chelsea’s Champions League spot could be going to someone else.
