“The kind of player who can surprise you,” Enzo Maresca commented about Cole Palmer after the match. Yet, back in mid-January, Palmer never imagined he would go 18 games without finding the net.
That streak has finally ended, thanks to a slow penalty against Liverpool, despite Chelsea ultimately losing 3-1. Maresca noted that Palmer “isn’t satisfied” with his recent lack of goals, but he’s eager to help the team “achieve something significant” in the vital closing games of the season.
Chelsea is set to reach the Conference League final this month, while Champions League competitors Newcastle and Nottingham Forest are in a competitive race for top five. Given this, Palmer’s return to scoring couldn’t have come at a better time, regardless of Maresca’s belief that his performance hadn’t dipped lately.
“We see him making efforts daily in practice. He maintained the same level,” Maresca stated. “Naturally, he feels down when he’s not scoring because he wants to contribute to the club’s success. [Now] he’s clearly happy with his goal. But I haven’t seen that level of effort from him for the past two months.
“I mentioned before that if we want to finish in the top five, Cole and Nico [Jackson] need to score. We have three league matches left and a European match on Thursday, so hopefully, he can assist us further.”
Regarding his scoring woes, Palmer reflected on Sky Sports’ reputation, admitting, “It was tough; I went three months without finding the back of the net, but that just fuels my motivation. It’s not just for me; it’s for the team too.”
“I’m aware there’s a lot of negativity on social media, but I don’t let it bother me. To score again, I need to focus and push myself to reach my best,” he added.
On Liverpool’s end, Arne Slot interpreted the loss as a reminder of what’s needed for their title defense next season. “Margins are narrow,” he remarked. “You make a couple of mistakes, and suddenly you’ve conceded goals. All our players have talent, and so do Chelsea, Arsenal, and Villa. It requires hard work every three days.”
Maresca also acknowledged the strength of the champions, stating, “We demonstrated today why they secured the Premier League title. We didn’t intend to sit back, but sometimes the opposing team is so strong that you have to adjust accordingly.”
