Cole Palmer didn’t hold back after Chelsea’s 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich, pointing the finger at his teammates for switching off at crucial moments in their Champions League return.
The Blues, back in Europe’s elite competition for the first time in nearly two-and-a-half years, were undone at the Allianz Arena by Trevoh Chalobah’s own goal and a clinical brace from Harry Kane.
Palmer offered a glimmer of hope with a well-taken strike in the first half, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a deserved Bayern win.
Palmer appears to blame teammates after Bayern defeat
Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, the England international cut a frustrated figure.
“Yeah [frustrating]. We deserved more. We started well, had early chances but when you make mistakes at the highest level it’s difficult,” Palmer admitted, as quoted by Football London. “There was a lack of concentration, not managing the moments correct.
“We showed we can play against one of the best teams in the competition. We deserved more to be honest. The manager said to us before we can go toe-to-toe. It’s a good learning curve and to be back in the competition is nice. I don’t even know [what happened in the second half]. We’re not coming here to be a learning curve. We showed we want to compete.”
Palmer shines in a mixed Chelsea display
Palmer’s first-half goal – his second in four days after netting against Brentford – highlighted his growing influence in Enzo Maresca’s side.
He almost doubled his tally late on, sliding the ball past Manuel Neuer after a pinpoint pass from Andrey Santos, only for VAR to rule it out for offside in the build-up.
Despite flashes of promise, Chelsea struggled to consistently trouble Bayern’s goalkeeper.
Their intricate passing moves and moments of attacking intent were overshadowed by lapses in concentration – the very issue Palmer was quick to underline.