Chelsea’s dominant win over West Ham on Friday night was partially overshadowed by the news that one of their biggest players had pulled out during the warm up.
Cole Palmer was unable to feature despite being named in the starting side, being replaced by Estevao Willian minutes before kick-off.
Enzo Maresca was cautious when discussing Palmer’s injury, and the consensus was that he was going to be sent off for a scan to see how bad things were.
With an international break coming up after the Fulham game, there was an opportunity for him to enjoy about three weeks of rest and recovery, in order to get him fit and firing when he returns.
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Cole Palmer’s injury scan results better than first thought
It is fair to say that Palmer’s goalscoring touch has disappeared in recent months, and some time to fully recover could well be what’s best.
Journalist Simon Phillips has stated that Palmer has now undergone his scan, and the results were more positive than was expected. However, he hinted that the West London derby on Saturday could come too soon.
He said: “Cole Palmer had a scan on his groin today and the results are positive, better than he first feared.
“Nothing serious or too bad showing up but Chelsea and Cole will be cautious and Fulham might come too soon. We’ll see.”
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Cole Palmer had a scan on his groin today and the results are positive, better than he first feared.
Nothing serious or too bad showing up but Chelsea and Cole will be cautious and Fulham might come too soon. We’ll see.
— Simon Phillips (@siphillipssport) August 26, 2025
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Chelsea show they can win without Palmer
There will no doubt have been some fear around the away fans in the London Stadium at the prospect of winning a game without their main man in attack, and especially after going a goal behind.
However, the attacking force of Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto and Estevao worked brilliantly together, helping combine for five goals.
It is a real positive for Maresca if they can win games without the England international, however his importance remains in the first team squad.
If he cannot face Fulham, Palmer will be hoping he can be fit to face Brentford when club sides return from international duty.