Chelsea star Cole Palmer left the pitch furious at Enzo Maresca's decision to withdraw him during Saturday's match against Aston Villa. The England international was taken off for Estevao Willian in the 74th minute at Stamford Bridge with the scoreline locked at 1-1.
Palmer proceeded to exchange words with Blues assistant Willy Caballero, with head coach Enzo Maresca watching from the stands due to a touchline ban. The Blues forward was considered ready to play the full 90 minutes by Maresca prior to kick-off, but was withdrawn with approximately 15 minutes of normal time left.
The 23-year-old has battled with multiple injuries this season, but made his comeback against Unai Emery's outfit.
Palmer picked up a groin injury in September. Additional setbacks occurred when he suffered a broken toe in November, ruling him out for a further two matches.
In the following weeks, Palmer has been working to return to full fitness, featuring in Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Newcastle earlier this month for 79 minutes.
However, despite playing a substantial portion of the game against Villa, Palmer's response to being substituted in the second half was a decision he evidently opposed.
Speaking before the match, Maresca said: "I think he's ready for 90 minutes, yeah. The progression for a player is 45, one hour, 70.
"He already played one hour against, I think, Everton. He played more than 70 against Newcastle, so I think the progression is there."
Joao Pedro had put the Blues ahead at half-time. However, a second-half double from Ollie Watkins led to Chelsea's downfall and secured an equal club record 11th consecutive victory for Villa.
Chelsea currently sit fifth, tied on points with Manchester United, both teams having accumulated 29 points from 18 matches.
Villa, on the other hand, maintain their third position, just three points behind league leaders Arsenal.
Post-match, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp lauded Watkins for his game-changing performance.
He stated: "That was one of the great impacts from a sub in Premier League history. [Watkins] changed the complexion of the match completely. He was absolutely incredible."