Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer failed to score for a ninth consecutive match after missing a penalty against Leicester, but it emerged after the game that he had been struggling with illness
Enzo Maresca leapt to the defence of Cole Palmer after the Chelsea star missed a penalty against Leicester, revealing the attacking midfielder was ill before the game.
Palmer, 22, had failed to score in his previous eight games heading into Sunday’s meeting with Leicester, who arrived at Stamford Bridge with the aim of banking more precious points in their fight for Premier League survival.
The England star had a golden chance to put an end to his barren run from the penalty spot in the first half – only for Leicester goalkeeper, Mads Hermansen, to thwart him.
Marc Cucurella spared Palmer and Chelsea’s blushes by plundering the only goal of the game on the hour mark. Victory sees the Blues nudge ahead of Manchester City into fourth place as they fight to qualify for the Champions League.
Palmer’s miss marked the first time he has ever failed to score a spot-kick in his senior career. But Maresca revealed post-match that the former Manchester City star had missed training with an upset stomach in the days leading up to the game and wasn’t 100 per cent.
The Italian explained: “Cole yesterday didn’t train. He didn’t feel well. This morning he woke up and told me he wanted to play to help this team get into the Champions League.
“Two days, he had fever, how do you say in English – diarrhoea. He was very bad. But he asked to play the game and this shows the desire of our players. They gave everything and were unbelievable.
“Cole is going to miss more penalties in life. We are happy with him. The people need to understand the effort he made to be there. Cole is a top player.”
Although Palmer will have to wait a little bit longer to end his dry spell, Chelsea are now in with a fighting chance of finishing in the top-four after moving ahead of Manchester City in the table.
But Chelsea’s matchwinner, Cucurella, was quick to admit that there is still plenty of room for improvement as Maresca’s side bid to wrestle their way back into the Champions League.
“I’m really happy,” he told Sky Sports. “I think it’s a long process, I needed to work really hard in my bad moments. Maybe something I need to improve is being more clinical in the final third.
“In the last minute we showed energy and the fans helped us in our tough moments when we’re a bit tired. We defend the same club and we need to stay together. The support is very important when things go not well.”
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