Cole gets one over on Gordon in front of Southgate

THEY lined up in direct opposition — right wing versus left wing — and that’s how it is likely to be for a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad. But on the night of their international audition in front of the Three Lions boss, it was advantage Cole Palmer over Anthony Gordon. It could not have gone any worse for the latter, injured inside the first five minutes before soldiering on for half an hour. Clearly, Gordon had been robbed of his weaponry. His body language betrayed his hurt — physical and mental, you suspect — and it was no surprise when he finally signalled in the 36th minute that he could not continue. The 23-year-old left rubbing his knee and, equally, scratching his head, for he had not missed a game because of injury in more than a year. By contrast, Palmer, 21, was the game’s most impactful player, taking his Premier League goal contributions to 19 for the season. He had his eighth assist last night when his shot was turned in by Nicolas Jackson in the fifth minute. The irony is that it would not have happened had Gordon not already been wounded. He could not track the forward run of Malo Gusto and it was from the defender’s cross that Chelsea’s opener was scored. Palmer had shown composure all night — not all of his team-mates can say the same — and it was no surprise when Chelsea’s decisive second goal arrived via his left boot, making him the first player to both score and provide an assist in five Premier League games this season. It was the one true moment of quality from anyone in blue — a 20-yard drill into the bottom corner — and with the biggest matches at major tournaments often settled on such moments of inspiration, this felt like Palmer booking a seat on the plane. For Gordon, sadly, a seat in the treatment room awaits.