PALMER BAIL-OUT SPARES POCH
LIFE isn’t getting any easier for Mauricio Pochettino – even with a stellar talent like Cole Palmer in his locker. Bizarrely, uncertainty still surrounds whether Palmer has done enough to secure his place in England’s squad for the Euros in Germany this summer.
After his two-goal show to spare Pochettino’s blushes yesterday, that’s as crazy as thevar decision which lit a fire under an absorbing clash with relegation threatened Burnley who played the second half with 10 men.
Luckily for his boss, Palmer once again unfurled his shimmering talent, running the show for Chelsea and scoring the goals which prevented a more damning backlash against under-fire
Pochettino.
His first-half penalty to put
Chelsea ahead and a superbly taken second late in the game weren’t enough to secure victory after Dara O’shea’s even later equaliser for battling Burnley.
And it was far from enough to stop the boos cascading from the stands at the final whistle.
In a season that’s rapidly turning into one to forget for Chelsea fans, the saving grace is that Palmer (above) isn’t weighed down by the gloom that’s placed a near permanent cloud over Stamford Bridge.
Pochettino blamed his side’s lack of energy and hunger without the ball. He said: “We are disappointed and frustrated by the way we managed the second half. We did not show the minimum to compete in the Premier League.
“It is not to find excuses. Chelsea had more than enough second-half chances to beat Burnley but Palmer was the only one to deliver a ruthless touch.
Raheem Sterling assisted
Palmer’s second with a sublime flick but missed the chance to be the matchwinning hero with an off-target header.
Twice Burnley were behind – the first time just before the break after the softest of penalties that ended with Lorenz Assignon and Vincent Kompany both sent off.
Josh Cullen’s equaliser just after half-time was a superb volleyed finish and O’shea’s header for 2-2 was in the mould of Kompany.
Burnley assistant coach Craig Bellamy said: “It was so selfless they were there to play for each other.”
CHELSEA: Petrovic 7; Gusto 6 (Gilchrist 87), Disasi 6, Badiashile 6, Cucurella 6; Caicedo 7, Fernandez 6; Palmer 9, Gallagher 6 (Madueke 62, 6); Mudryk 7; Jackson 7 (Sterling 73).
BURNLEY: Vitinho 7; Larsen 6 (Brownhill 46, 7), Cullen 8, Berge 7, Odobert 6 (Gudmundsson 69, 6); Foster 7 (Rodriguez 69, 6), Amdouni 5 (Taylor
45, 6).
MAN OF THE MATCH: COLE PALMER – Data star with nine shots, two goals and three key passes. REF: D England ATT: 39,535