Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer has said that wearing the captain’s armband for the first time was “a long time coming” after the Blues beat Port Vale 7-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Reece James was out with a hamstring injury, and vice-captain Enzo Fernández was suspended for flirting with a move to Real Madrid. So head coach Liam Rosenior gave the 23-year-old the captaincy for the first time.
After four straight losses, including an 8-2 aggregate loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and back-to-back Premier League losses to Newcastle and Everton, the result brought some peace back to Stamford Bridge. Jorrel Hato and João Pedro scored early on, and Palmer forced a Port Vale own goal to make it 3-0 at half-time, so the tie was pretty much over by then.
After the break, Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos, and Estevao all scored, and Alejandro Garnacho scored the final goal in stoppage time, making Chelsea’s seventh goal of the day. After the final whistle, the England international talked to the club’s media about how important the event was and how badly Chelsea needed to start winning again:
“Long time coming. It was a proud moment being captain. I enjoyed it and it was a good afternoon. We needed to win. It was a difficult four games [before the international break] but to get to a semi-final at Wembley was very important. It’s nice to see everyone getting involved [with the goals] and laughing, joking and smiling after the game.”
Before the game started, Rosenior explained why he chose Palmer as captain, noting that Palmer leads by example on the field and deserves the honour of captaining such a big club. The 23-year-old forward has scored nine goals and assisted on one in 20 Premier League games this season, even though he has been dealing with a groin problem that has made things much harder for him.
Chelsea’s next big game is against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, April 12. Rosenior’s team want to build on this win and keep pushing for a top-five finish.
Cole Palmer Delivers Encouraging Fitness Update Ahead of Manchester City Showdown
Palmer not only reached the milestone of becoming captain, but also gave a big update on his health, saying he thinks he has finally gotten over the worst of his long-term groin problem. The problem bothered him for most of the first half of the 2025–26 season and kept him from playing at his usual high level for much of the season.
Palmer missed almost the whole first half of the season because of that groin injury. He came back to play in December against Leeds United. Since returning, the England international has had trouble being consistent, but a hat-trick against Wolverhampton Wanderers in February showed that he could still play at his best.
After the win over Port Vale, Palmer gave Chelsea fans some good news:
“I feel good, feel like I’ve turned a corner. I can finally shoot again and do everything now, so just about kicking on and performing.”
This will be good news for both Rosenior and Chelsea fans, especially since the World Cup is coming up this summer. Thomas Tuchel is likely to include Palmer on his England team for the tournament in North America. Chelsea will play Manchester City at Stamford Bridge next weekend. If Palmer is fully healthy, he could be the difference-maker as the Blues try to catch up to the top five.