Cole Palmer had one goal disallowed following a narrow VAR call, provided one of the best passes of the season to set up Chelsea’s first goal and then scored the winner himself in his team’s 2-1 victory over Newcastle at Stamford Bridge. Same old Palmer.
Except that is not quite true. This was a change of role. “We tried to do something,” explained Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca afterwards. “We moved Reece [James] to the left side and we also moved Cole to the left pocket for the first game of the season.”
For the previous two home fixtures in the Premier League, Chelsea had lined up with Marc Cucurella providing the width from left-back and Jadon Sancho drifting inside ahead of him. But this was different. James came inside. Pedro Neto brought the width.
With most of Neto’s opportunities coming in a European competition for which Palmer is not even registered, this was only the Portuguese winger’s third start alongside Chelsea’s star man – and he had been hooked before the hour mark in the previous two.
It was a success this time, most obviously when Palmer’s pass sent Neto away to cross for Nico Jackson’s opening goal. “The reason was to try and attack on that side,” revealed Maresca. Poor Tino Livramento found himself overwhelmed despite his best efforts.
Chelsea’s passing networks in their 2-1 win over Newcastle at Stamford Bridge
With James also not in his natural position, it needed Palmer knitting it together for it to work well and he did so expertly. Whether linking up with Neto or Nico Jackson, or pinging passes out to Noni Madueke, Newcastle could not get near him. Maresca enjoyed it.
“I think it worked top. Noni on one side, Pedro on the other, Cole in the pocket, Malo [Gusto] in the pocket, Nico there; they are all so good when they are making passes, passes, passes, we arrive in the last third and we can create chances and goals.”
Nobody in the Premier League does both as well as Palmer now. The scatter graph showing expected goals and expected assists shows that while Erling Haaland is the master goal-getter and James Maddison is the arch-creator, it is Palmer who is the full package.
Iwobi’s progressive passing
Fulham failed to finish off their fine performance away to Everton and lost two points as a result. Marco Silva’s side have now dropped more Premier League points from winning positions this season – 10 – than they did during the whole of last season.
They have won three of their nine games but have actually had the better chances in each of the last eight, according to the expected-goals data. The finishing is something for Silva to address but one player who he does not have to worry about right now is Alex Iwobi.
