Chelsea
Maresca Falls Ill, Caballero Explains Palmer Substitution and Caicedo Suspension
Maresca withdrew unwell; Caballero addressed Palmer substitutions, Caicedo suspension and squad care
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca did not attend the postmatch press conference after Tuesday’s 2–2 draw with Bournemouth, asking assistant Willy Caballero to speak after feeling unwell. The decision followed Maresca’s substitution of Cole Palmer around the hour mark, a move that drew audible frustration from the stands and a chant of, “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
Caballero told reporters why he was representing the manager. “He didn’t feel well the last two days,” he said. “He had a temperature two days ago, he did do the last two sessions because he wanted to prepare the team for this game. But after the game, he went to the changing room and he asked me to replace him because he didn’t feel well. That’s the only thing I can tell you.”
On Maresca’s approach to his work, Caballero added: “He’s dealing well because he’s very professional. He invests a lot of hours every single day, even though the last two days he was feeling bad. He is an example for me and for all of the staff.”
Palmer, recently declared fit to play 90 minutes after overcoming a lengthy groin injury, has instead been substituted in both of his last two outings, lasting 72 minutes against Aston Villa and 63 minutes against Bournemouth. Against Villa he was visibly unhappy when withdrawn; this time he left the pitch without public protest and applauded the fans. “Of course, any supporter wants to have their best players on the pitch and we want to have the best players on the pitch as well,” Caballero reflected. “But Cole is coming from a long injury so in this case, we need to find the right substitutions to go for the game and also to take care of the health of our players, because we want to have them for the long period and for the rest of the season in every single game.”
The positive for Chelsea is that Palmer does not appear to have aggravated his injury and should be free to start the next outing against Manchester City on Jan. 4. The club will also be without Moisés Caicedo after his suspension, a decision Caballero questioned. “We are very frustrated because it was the first foul of the game and it was close to us,” he said. “We looked at the foul more than once and it doesn’t look like a yellow. But it’s done now so we’re going to miss a very important player. We will need to start to think who will be the player that replaces Moi and, of course it’s a big loss, but it’s the same as when we miss Cole, when we miss Liam [Delap], when we miss any player, because all of them are very important for us.”
Chelsea
Palmer Avoids Premier League Ban as Chelsea Suspension Falls in Carabao Cup
Palmer serves his ban in the Carabao Cup, so Chelsea avoid a Premier League absence for him.
Cole Palmer will not miss a Premier League match after his red-card suspension was absorbed by Chelsea’s midweek Carabao Cup tie with Liverpool. The one-game ban will be served in that fixture, leaving him available for league duty despite the dismissal.
The midfielder’s night turned late in the contest after stand-in goalkeeper Mike Penders helped the visitors in front with a costly own goal in the 77th minute. Soon afterwards, Palmer picked up a second yellow card, having already been booked for running into Mateus Fernandes. On another occasion, that incident might have brought a red card immediately, but the greater problem came when he stood on Conor Gallagher’s ankle.
The scheduling and the FA handbook have combined to spare Palmer from a Premier League absence, although he will miss Chelsea’s next match, which is the trip to Anfield. That means he will not be available for the fourth round Carabao Cup tie on Wednesday night.
Chelsea’s record at Anfield remains a poor one. They have not won there in front of fans since 2018, when Eden Hazard inspired a side managed by Maurizio Sarri to a Carabao Cup third round victory. This time, however, their No. 10 will be watching from the sidelines.
Palmer addressed the fallout on social media the next morning. “Not good enough by me,” he wrote on Instagram. “Live n learn. Apologies. On to the next.”
The manager was more restrained in his assessment and chose not to publicly escalate the issue. “I need to check the action to talk with Cole, but it is one to learn for the future for sure,” he said after the match.
He added: “I think that Cole, when he is focused on the game, when he is enjoying, and today after the 1–0, it is a moment to keep calm, a moment to keep mature and for everyone.”
Arsenal
Villa’s Win Over City Triggers Another Opta Refresh
Villa beat City, Arsenal stay close, and Opta updates the title, Europe and relegation outlooks.
Aston Villa have delivered the Premier League’s first defeat of Manchester City this season, and they are also the first side to take points from them. Unai Emery’s team earned that landmark result at Villa Park, where City were below their best and paid for it. Gianluigi Donnarumma and Marc Guéhi were both singled out for especially poor showings, Nicolas Jackson struck on loan to make the difference, and Zion Suzuki contributed six saves across the 90 minutes.
City remain top of the current Premier League standings, but the performance offered the first domestic indication that they are not untouchable. Arsenal followed by matching them on points after beating Everton, leaving the title race level at the summit and Arsenal second only on goal difference.
That Arsenal victory came with Bukayo Saka unavailable and possibly out until Christmas. The Gunners were short of natural creativity, but they compensated by rediscovering the set-piece strength that served them so well last season.
With those results, and two others on Saturday, Opta’s supercomputer updated its predictions again.
The title model now has Arsenal first with 79.55 predicted points and a 53.82% chance of finishing champions. Manchester City are second on 76.11 points and 34.39%. Brighton remain the only other side above 5%, while Liverpool are at 3.29% and Chelsea at 1.42%.
The Champions League outlook keeps Arsenal and City well clear, with both above 90% to qualify. Brighton stand at 58.37%, Liverpool at 46.70%, Chelsea at 31.28% and Aston Villa at 21.66%. Brentford, Leeds and Everton are further back, and Manchester United’s five-match winless run has left them below 6%.
At the lower end, Tottenham have made a notable move in the right direction. Two wins in a row have cut their relegation chance to 14%, and the model now projects them to finish 13th. That is not especially strong, but it is a considerable improvement on consecutive 17th-place finishes in the last two seasons.
Chelsea
Palmer Sent Off as Chelsea Collapse to Tottenham at Home
Chelsea were beaten 2-0 by Tottenham after an own goal, Palmer’s red card and a late strike.
Chelsea’s home derby against Tottenham ended in frustration and disarray as the visitors secured a deserved 2-0 victory, handing Chelsea only their second home league defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in 36 years.
The contest was effectively lost in stages. Chelsea struggled to create clear openings after the restart, but the decisive blows arrived when a comical own goal from Mike Penders, making his first Premier League start, put Tottenham in front. Soon after, Cole Palmer was dismissed for two quick yellow cards, leaving Chelsea with an even steeper hill to climb. The first booking followed a petulant push on Mateus Fernandes, an action that might easily have brought a straight red, while the second came from an unnecessary challenge on Conor Gallagher.
Any lingering hope of a late rescue disappeared three minutes from time when Mathys Tel produced a superb solo finish to settle the match and leave Chelsea with their third Premier League defeat of the season.
Chelsea entered the derby having already shown how much they miss Pedro. Before Saturday, they had played only one league match without him this season, and that ended in a 3-0 defeat to Brentford. His eight goal involvements have been central to their attack, but his value goes beyond numbers. He provides the focal point for Xabi Alonso’s fluid 3-4-2-1 shape, linking with Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers.
Without him, Chelsea lacked clarity and cohesion. Alonso chose Morgan Rogers at No. 9, with Palmer and Geovany Quenda close behind, but the first half brought only four shots and 0.25 expected goals. The manager waited until the 72nd minute to turn to Estêvão, yet the overall pattern did not change. Danny Welbeck arrived too late to influence proceedings.
There are now obvious questions for Alonso, especially how to structure his attack without Pedro, whose return date is still unknown.
