Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Chelsea’s No 10 marked his first appearance at Stamford Bridge since the opening day of the season with a goal to show he is ready to fight for his place on the England plane to the United States.
Tuchel was in the stands to watch Palmer collect Malo Gusto’s pass and neatly finish past England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to open the scoring for Chelsea. It was his third goal of what has been an injury-hit season so far.
Enzo Maresca had warned that Palmer is still feeling pain in his groin and cannot currently play two or three games a week. The Chelsea head coach took no chances over Palmer’s fitness by replacing him just before the hour mark and the 23-year-old received a standing ovation from the home crowd as he left the pitch.
Palmer took his goal like he had never been away and he also put a lovely pass through for Joao Pedro, who could not take advantage.
“I wouldn’t say I’m at my best yet, I’m still dealing with an injury,” Palmer said. “Hopefully it gets better and better, but there’s still a bit to go. It is getting better. It’s just a matter of not doing too much too soon.”
Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham and Eberechi Eze may be in front of Palmer in the England pecking order right now, but none of that trio has the goalscoring ability of Palmer, and Tuchel was given the perfect reminder of that.
On his World Cup hopes, Palmer added: “I’ve not been looking too far ahead to be honest. I’ve been injured for three months, I just need to get back to full fitness. I know what I can offer when I’m fully fit, so hopefully I get there soon.”
Chelsea's Malo Gusto (right) scores his side's second goal during the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge. Photo: Adam Davy/PA Wire.
The Chelsea supporters loved seeing the “Cold” Palmer celebration again and one gets the impression we might see it a fair few times between now and the World Cup.
“Hopefully, we can keep him fit, that is the most important thing, and then if he can help us in the future or the international team, we’re going to see,” Maresca said. “I said many times that with Cole we are a better team.”
This was not just an important afternoon for Palmer, but also for Maresca, as Chelsea secured their first victory in five games.
The performance was not always convincing, but the result was crucial following defeats by Leeds United and Atalanta, and draws with Arsenal and Bournemouth.
Maresca’s cryptic complaint over a lack of support over the past 48 hours suggested the Atalanta and Leeds results had not been well received internally at Chelsea, as well as externally.
Having set up Palmer for his goal, Gusto extended Chelsea’s lead against the run of play just before half-time. He could thank Pedro Neto for beating Vitalii Mykolenko and providing an inviting low cross. It was the first time that Gusto, who was playing at right-back, had scored and assisted in a single game.
Alejandro Garnacho could have made it completely comfortable for Chelsea, but he missed an open goal just after Palmer had scored and also blazed a good opportunity off target after the break.
Moises Caicedo will be available again when Chelsea next play in the league away at Newcastle United, and Maresca will hope he comes back refreshed given the fact Enzo Fernandez and Reece James both looked tired at times against Everton.
James has now played three full 90 minutes in succession and Maresca said: “He’s asking for more! He’s getting better and better, so it’s a good feeling for us.”
Everton threatened on several occasions and went closest with three minutes remaining when Iliman Ndiaye shot past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, but the ball rebounded off the inside of a post to safety.
James Tarkowski headed wide at the back post and Thierno Barry failed to convert a great ball across the six-yard box from Idrissa Gueye. The ball went through Barry’s legs and Everton would surely have scored at least one goal if they had a decent centre-forward.
Jack Grealish, like Palmer, would have hoped to catch the eye of Tuchel, but he could not beat Sanchez from a tight angle after cutting in from the left.
Grealish also had a header tipped over the crossbar and then somehow steered the ball wide with the entire goal to aim at from Carlos Alcaraz’s cross.
Asked what the difference between the two teams was, Everton manager David Moyes joked: “Maybe a billion pound difference, possibly, you know what I mean?”