Mauricio Pochettino expressed his disappointment over the penalty dispute involving Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, and Noni Madueke during his team’s 6-0 victory against Everton.
Captain Conor Gallagher had to intervene to shove away Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke as they squabbled for the ball after the latter was brought down in the box.
Gallagher secured the ball then handed it to Palmer, the team’s designated penalty taker.
Pochettino
“The players and staff know that Cole Palmer is the penalty taker.”
“I am so, so upset about the situation.
Discipline is the most important thing in our team.
“We all agree they [Jackson and Madueke] were wrong.
They are not experienced players. They are young. It was very good the reaction by Conor Gallagher [to diffuse things].”
“We can’t show that type of behaviour.”
“It’s like we are in a school, and our job is to show them they were wrong so they can learn.
There will be no punishment, but this can’t happen again. If Palmer is on the pitch, he is the penalty taker.”
Pochettino went on to apologize for the incident and the “bad image” of the club that it presented.
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Palmer calmly slotted home the penalty — bringing his tally to a perfect 9-for-9 from the spot this season — to make it 5-0 and move alongside Manchester City‘s Erling Haaland at the top of the Premier League scoring charts with 20.
The goal also brought Palmer’s tally in all competitions to 23 as he became the first Chelsea player to reach 20 since Eden Hazard in 2018-19.
“He was a player always with the capacity to score when at Manchester City, but I think the way he has adapted himself is fantastic,” Pochettino said of Palmer.
“He is amazing for the team, for him, and he is showing that the club made the right decision in signing him.
“Overall, I am happy with the performance. We showed a different approach than against Sheffield United [a 2-2 draw last Sunday].
We improved in different areas, and today was the perfect game.”
With Chelsea, who have struggled all season in Pochettino’s return to England, finally rounding into form and chasing the European places in the Premier League,
the former Tottenham Hotspur coach said it was time for his team to grow up and learn from its mistakes.
“It’s impossible after a performance like this to have this type of behavior that shows that we are in a process, and we will learn a lot.”
“We are a great team fighting for big things. We need to change and think more in a collective way.
“I thought we behaved like kids today. When this happens, we need to learn and learn quick. Perform like today but behave much better.”
Chelsea’s dominant against Everton stands out as their best display of the season and marks their bigest victory under Pochettino’s management.
