Super sub: Cole Palmer bagged two assists off the bench
Chelsea Football Newsletter
Chelsea secured automatic progression to the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday night with a 3-2 win in Naples.
Palmer started as a substitute having missed both of Chelsea’s last two games against Pafos and Crystal Palace with a small thigh strain.
But he came off the bench to assist both of Joao Pedro’s sensational second-half goals as the Blues turned the game on its head and avoided the play-off round.
Rosenior was asked whether Palmer coming on at half-time was fitness-related or pre-planned.
“I think it's a combination of both,” he said. “There's no way Cole could have started this game and played 60 or 70 minutes.
“I thought later in the game we would be stronger. I thought Cole was magnificent.”
Rosenior added: “We need to look after him. The way he's managed himself in the last two weeks has been magnificent.”
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It has been an injury-disrupted season for Palmer, who was played a full 90 minutes on only four occasions.
“He's a world-class player,” Rosenior added. “There's been a lot of talk about Cole - he was a very, very happy man in the changing room after the game.”