Xabi Alonso has confirmed Cole Palmer apologised to him and the rest of the Chelsea squad after the red card he received in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer was sent off in the 80th minute of the game, having picked up his first yellow 10 minutes earlier for barging into Mateus Fernandes off the ball. The second came for a stamp on ex-Blue Conor Gallagher. The red card marks the first time the 24-year-old has been sent off in professional football, and means he will miss the Anfield trip due to a one-match ban.
Speaking at Cobham on Tuesday, Alonso said:
“We spoke, and for sure he knows the mistake he made; things that you can avoid. I hope that this is not going to be repeated. He’s aware of that; he’s mature, and it was a mistake.”
Pressed on whether the red card has affected Palmer’s status in the squad, Alonso said:
“He’s in a good space; he connects very well socially with his teammates. His team-mates know how special he is.”
Palmer’s red card was the club’s 100th in Premier League history, and the ninth since the start of last season. However, the England international is available for Saturday’s game against Manchester United.
Xabi Alonso Reveals Penders Decision For Liverpool
The manager also confirmed that goalkeeper Mike Penders will start Wednesday’s fourth-round Carabao Cup clash with Liverpool. Penders had earlier made a couple of good saves to deny Omar Marmoush and Mathys Tel but then scored an own goal from a corner in the 77th minute of the 2-0 loss against Tottenham.
Alonso was quick to confirm that one mistake will not mean the 21-year-old Belgian loses his spot in goal, with Emiliano Martinez still sidelined after surgery on a fractured jaw. He added:
“It’s part of the business; you need to deal with mistakes and we keep confidence in Mike and he will be in goal against Liverpool. We win and we lose together and it’s part of the job to deal with mistakes, myself as well as everyone.”
Penders started only because Martinez was unavailable, and he had never started a Premier League game until the Tottenham clash. He also became only the second goalkeeper in Chelsea history to score an own goal in the Premier League after Petr Cech. Anfield is a tough place to regain confidence as a goalkeeper, but the Carabao Cup is a chance to bounce back.