Jamie Carragher names Chelsea's unsung hero as transfer policy finally pays off
Jamie Carragher praised Cole Palmer's role in Chelsea's win against Fulham - vindicating his summer transfer from Manchester City.
Chelsea defeated their west London rivals 2-0 at Craven Cottage on Monday night, with Mykhaylo Mudryk and Armando Broja scoring for the visitors. It's just their second Premier League win of the season after a difficult start under Mauricio Pochettino.
The Blues have spent more than £1billion on new players since Todd Boehly's consortium completed a takeover of the club in May 2022. That investment hasn't result in success on the pitch, with Chelsea finishing 12th in the Premier League last season.
Yet club chiefs hope results will eventually pick up thanks to their young squad. One such player that's impressed since moving to Stamford Bridge is Palmer, a 21-year-old winger who was lured away from the Etihad in a £45million deal on deadline day.
Although Palmer is yet to open his account for the Blues, he played an important role in Broja's goal. Palmer's pressing ensured Fulham centre-back Tim Ream couldn't play a simple pass to left-back Antonee Robinson, forcing him to play through the middle.
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Palmer then cut off Ream's pass and played a perfectly-timed ball into the path of Broja, who slotted home to score his first goal since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury last December. Carragher recognised the importance of Palmer's work.
"The big part for me is Cole Palmer’s role in this," the Liverpool legend told Sky Sports on Monday Night Football. "I think this is fantastic because yes, we have seen Mudryk and the position he takes up and the run he takes, but this is a different kind of run."
Palmer played a role in Chelsea's second goal (Getty Images)What did you make of Cole Palmer's performance against Fulham? Let us know in the comments below!
Carragher believes Pochettino will be delighted with Palmer. He added: "Palmer is only new to the team, but the way he closes down and shapes his body to force Tim Ream to make a pass is absolutely brilliant. His manager will be pleased with Palmer defensively."
Carragher also praised Mudryk for scoring his first Premier League goal. The Ukrainian made a brilliant run down the middle before finishing Levi Colwill's ball deep from the left. "That is what world class players have to do in terms of those positions." said Carragher.
"You can be great out wide but you have to be great centrally. A lot of teams now, it is not about the centre-forward scoring goals now, it’s about the wide players that have to provide this."
Carragher's fellow pundit Frank Lampard, who coached Mudryk last season, added: "I think confidence is such a huge thing at this level. When I mentioned about how hard he works on the training ground, that moment and the goal makes it more worthwhile."
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