Per theDaily Mail, Chelsea fans were alerted to the absence of star man Cole Palmer and striker Joao Pedro long before the official team-sheets were handed in at the Amex Stadium. The leak originated from the X account @Rileyeagles_, alleged to belong to the personal barber of Spanish defender Cucurella, who posted: "Palmer and Joao Pedro both injured tonight. There's your exclusive."
The post was shared alongside a photo of the back of a head during a fresh trim, purportedly Cucurella's, although the defender's face was not visible. The information proved to be correct as Palmer sat out the contest with a hamstring issue, while Pedro failed to recover from an injury that also kept him out of Chelsea's defeat to Manchester United. Following the incident, the @Rileyeagles_ account and the original tweet have both been deleted.