Chelsea and Arsenal hero has picked the Stamford Bridge club sensastion Cole Palmer as far more skillful than the Gunners’ star Bukayo Saka and Manchester City’s Phil Foden.
The three England internationals have been very influential in their club’s campaigns this season.
Fabregas was playing a game where he had to pick between Saka, Palmer and Foden in a number of categories.
Each player won a number of categories, but, interestingly, when it came down to pure skill, Fabregas picked Palmer over Foden and Saka.
“Skill?” Fabregas was asked.
“Palmer,” Fabregas said.
Indeed, while Foden and Saka are incredible talents, we’ve seen something from Palmer this season that we haven’t seen from Foden or Saka.
Palmer has single-handedly put a team on his back and been something of a one-man army at times this term, while Saka and Foden are more cogs in well-oiled machines rather than being mavericks who take matters into their own hands.
Of course, there’s no saying that Saka or Foden couldn’t have had a similar effect if they were in Palmer’s shoes, but based on what we’ve seen this season, we’d probably say that Palmer is the most skilful of the three players.
Frank Lampard hailed the performance of Cole Palmer after the Chelsea star shone against his former club, despite another bitter Wembley defeat.
The England international left his boyhood club in the summer in search of regular first team football having, according to Pep Guardiola, been asking to move for two years.
Palmer has firmly established himself as one of the most exciting talents in England following a goal-laden campaign which sees him rivalling Erling Haaland for an unlikely Golden Boot.
The 21-year-old produced another spellbinding performance at Wembley but ended up on the losing team as City progressed to the final following Bernardo Silva’s late winner.
In spite of another bitter defeat, Lampard saw more encouraging signs from Mauricio Pochettino’s emerging side, especially in the display of Palmer.
He told the BBC: “They’ve put in some good performances against the top teams. They did it twice against Manchester City, they did it against Arsenal, they did it against Aston Villa in the FA Cup.
“There’s a good organisation and desire. Over the course of the season they’ve lacked consistency but today you can look at a good all round performance and see those little shoots of positive things and Cole Palmer has just strolled around this pitch and owned this game to a degree.
“He’s the man who you want in front of goal because he was the one giving all the passes today. There were lots of positives today but in this situation the transitional sqauad they have let’s give them time and see if they get better.”
Lampard later added: “Cole Palmer came into a club that is in a difficult moment. Maybe it has worked well for him as it has made him stand out, but it is not easy to arrive with such confidence and quiet arrogance.
“Today is another box ticked for him. Wembley, high pressure, against Man City, can you perform again at the high level? And he has just done it.
“The fact he has hit the ground running so quickly is amazing and there is no telling how far he can go for Chelsea and England.”
There are reports that Arsenal are keeping close tabs on Benjamin Sesko and could rival Chelsea and Manchester United for the RB Leipzig forward in the summer transfer window.
Sesko joined RB Leipzig from sister club Red Bull Salzburg last summer and has hit the ground running in a promising debut season under Marco Rose, scoring 13 goals in 37 appearances.
However, there is mounting speculation that Sesko could be set for the exit door at Red Bull Arena at the end of the campaign, with the 20-year-old’s performances believed to have attracted the attention of some of Europe’s heavyweight sides.
Chelsea and United have been credited with a strong interest in recent weeks and Sesko’s representatives are even believed to have been guests at both Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford this term.
According to The Evening Standard, Arsenal are ‘stepping up’ their plans to sign a forward and have joined their Premier League rivals in the race for Sesko, adding the Slovenia international to their shortlist of attacking targets for the summer.
Mikel Arteta is desperate to strengthen up front, with Arsenal’s two recognised centre-forwards – Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah – managing a total of just nine goals between them in the English top flight this season.
The report claims RB Leipzig have grown increasingly resigned to losing Sesko and are already scouring the market for possible replacements for the 2024/25 campaign.
Arsenal know Sesko will not come cheap given the sought-after youngster has a €50million (£43m) release clause in his contract which is set to become active at the end of the season.
But the Gunners are hopeful the striker’s wage demands would be lower than some of the other players on their wishlist, with the likes of Ivan Toney, Viktor Gyokeres, Evan Ferguson and Victor Osimhen all linked in recent months.
The Slovenian’s current deal, which he signed when he joined RB Leipzig, runs through to 2028.
Ian Maatsen says he was intent on becoming a regular Chelsea before his loan move to Borussia Dortmund.
The 22-year-old was one of Burnley’s standout performers on loan last season, as he helped Vincent Kompany’s side win the Championship and was picked at left-back for the division’s Team of the Season.
After impressing in pre-season last summer, Maatsen was tipped to challenge for a regular role under Pochettino this season but the versatile left-sider started just three games in all competitions before he was sent on loan to Dortmund in the January transfer window.
Maatsen has thrived since his move to the Bundesliga and capped another impressive performance by scoring a goal in Dortmund’s 4-2 win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday evening which has secured their place in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Chelsea now have a decision to make over Maatsen’s long-term future at Stamford Bridge and the defender is adamant that he could’ve made an impact under Pochettino.
“No, I was surprised. I think I always believed [I could] play for Chelsea as well, but unfortunately for some reasons it didn’t work out how it should’ve,” Maatsen told CBS Sports.
“Now I’m here I’m very grateful for the opportunity. I can say I’m very proud of myself.
“I kept believing in myself and came here to experience playing my game at the highest level, playing my game. Today I think I showed a very good performance. I’m very happy.”
Dortmund do not have an option to buy Maatsen has part of their loan agreement with Chelsea, meaning that the two clubs will need to negotiate a fee for the Dutchman this summer.
“Unfortunately for both players, neither option was really realistic,” Dortmund’s sporting director, Sebastian Kehl, told Sky Germany in February.
“If you know what we got for Jadon Sancho two and a half years ago, then you know also that it might now be very, very difficult.
“We naturally advocated for an option with him – and also with Ian – but the negotiating position was not such that we could implement it and so we will accept it for now.”
Kylian Mbappe struck twice as Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to beat 10-man Barcelona 4-1 and reach the semi finals of the UEFA Champions League.
The France international kept his cool with a second-half penalty and then tucked in a last-gasp rebound as Luis Enrique’s Ligue 1 champions overturned a 3-2 home reversal to progress 6-4 on aggregate.
Barcelona had made the perfect start as Raphinha followed up his two-goal blast in Paris last week with a close-range opener on 12 minutes after bewitching play from Lamine Yamal down the right.
The hosts were good value for their two-goal cushion in the tie overall, but their evening took a turn for the worse on the half hour when Ronald Araujo was shown a straight red for bringing down Bradley Barcola.
PSG took advantage of the lifeline as Ousmane Dembele once again netted against his former club to level matters on the night five minutes prior to the interval.
It was one-way traffic following the break and after Vitinha’s excellent 25-yard drive moved PSG ahead on the night, Mbappe put them in charge of the tie with a clinical spot kick just past the hour.
The 25-year-old then took his tally to 41 for the season to polish off a late counter attack and set up a last-four clash with Borussia Dortmund.
Borussia Dortmund reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 11 years after a thrilling 4-2 second-leg victory over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
Dortmund trailed 2-1 on aggregate coming into the match and led the tie for the first time when Julian Brandt and Ian Maatsen gave Edin Tezric’s side a two-goal lead in the first half.
A triple change from Diego Simeone at half-time turned the game on its head, as a Mats Hummels own goal and a thumping Angel Correa strike put Atletico back in front in the tie.
But less than five minutes later the pendulum swung again and back into Dortmund’s favour. Niclas Fullkrug guided a wonderful header beyond Jan Oblak to put Dortmund in front in the game before Marcel Sabitzer drilled the Germans into the lead on aggregate.
The hosts managed to hold on as they sealed their spot in the semi-finals, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain for a spot in the final at Wembley Stadium after they beat Barcelona.
Chelsea produced perhaps their most convincing performance of the season as they thrashed Everton 6-0 in the Premier League on Monday night.
Star man Cole Palmer continued his stunning breakout campaign with four goals at Stamford Bridge.
Nicolas Jackson and Alfie Gilchrist also got themselves on the scoresheet during a miserable evening for the Toffees.
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1) Djordje Petrovic – 6.5
Hardly had anything to do in Chelsea’s goal as Everton were weak in the extreme. Could simply sit back, chill and enjoy the Cole Palmer show.
Malo Gusto – 7
One of those who contributed to a shaky start, but then Palmer’s early strike settled the team’s nerves as Chelsea took complete control of this ‘contest’.
Trevoh Chalobah – 7
Glad to see the assistant’s flag correctly disallow Beto’s header for offside when Chelsea were leading 3-0 and overall showed a dominant streak in defence.
Thiago Silva – 7.5
Still going strong at 39, getting his head to crosses from Everton and dealing with the physical challenge of Beto. ‘Oh Thiago Silva,’ sang the supporters, rightly.
Marc Cucurella – 7
Got down the left-hand side tirelessly as his cross found Jackson for Chelsea to make it 4-0 before the break and was hardly troubled defensively.
Moises Caicedo – 8
One of those games where every player for Chelsea performed to the standard expected of him. Interesting to see how he benefitted from having Gallagher alongside him.
Conor Gallagher – 8
Partnered Caicedo in midfield in the absence of Enzo Fernandez and Everton could not live with Chelsea’s overall set-up, with yet another tireless performance from the captain.
Noni Madueke – 7.5
Good trickery down the right against Mykolenko. Slightly naughty of him getting involved in a few shoves with Palmer and Jackson when he wanted to take the penalty.
Cole Palmer – 9.5
Left foot. Right foot. Header. The perfect hat-trick, all scored within 28 minutes. Added his fourth to make it 5-0 by pulling rank when Chelsea were awarded their penalty.
Mykhailo Mudryk – 7
Used his speed in the build-up to Chelsea’s second goal to get the ball into the box and he is clearly growing in confidence with each start.
Nicolas Jackson – 8.5
Deserved a goal for himself and got it with a lovely take, turn and finish to secure it. But involved in some negative scenes when it came to who takes the penalty.
SUBS Carney Chukwuemeka (for Madueke, 72) – 6
Ben Chilwell (for Mudryk, 80) – N/A
Casare Casadei (for Palmer, 80) – N/A
Deivid Washington (for Jackson, 88) – N/A
Alfie Gilchrist (for Gusto, 88) – N/A
SUBS NOT USED Marcus Bettinelli
Benoit Badiashile
Tyrique George
Kiano Dyer
MANAGER Mauricio Pochettino – 8.5
A perfect performance from his team – one in which they avoided any temptations to indulge in self-sabotage – but needs to name his designated penalty taker.
Mauricio Pochettino was furious after watching some of his Chelsea players argue over who would take a penalty during the 6-0 demolition of Everton.
Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke were grappling over the ball after Chelsea, already leading 4-0, were awarded a penalty in the second half.
Blues captain Conor Gallagher eventually intervened, taking the ball off the Chelsea forwards and handing it to hat-trick hero Palmer.
Even then Palmer had to push Jackson away before composing himself and tucking a penalty past Jordan Pickford to extend Chelsea’s lead.
Asked about the incident, an angry Pochettino said: “It’s a shame, it’s a shame. It’s a shame because we cannot behave in this way.
“I told them it’s the last time I accept this type of behaviour. If we want to be a team and win things we need to think in the collective way.
“I made that clear to them. Cole Palmer is our taker, if he wants to give the penalty to someone else he can but not in this way. It is a sad situation and I don’t want it to happen again.
“It’s a process for a young team who need to learn a lot. But it’s the last time I want to see something like this. I want to apologise to the fans.”
Despite the unsavoury penalty scenes, Chelsea’s evening got even better when academy graduate Alfie Gilchrist scored his first goal for the club late on.
Chelsea led 4-0 at the interval thanks to Palmer’s brilliant, perfect hat-trick inside the first 30 minutes and Jackson’s goal on the stroke of half-time.
Cole Palmer admits the on-pitch argument was ‘over the top’ but insists his team-mates were ‘laughing and joking’ about it after the match.
While it was Chelsea’s best game of the season, there was a moment when tensions rose in the Chelsea ranks.
An argument between Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson arose after the penalty was awarded, which was not a good look.
“Other players wanted to take it, but I am the penalty taker and I wanted to take it,” Cole said.
“I think we are showing everyone is wanting to take responsibility it may be a bit over the top, but everyone wants to win – we are laughing and joking about it.”
Chelsea are just three points behind sixth-placed Newcastle United after batting Everton while Sean Dyche’s side stay 16th, two points above the relegation zone.
Meanwhile, former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher described the penalty drama as ‘daft’ and said it partly overshadowed a fine Chelsea performance.
“What happened in the second half was just ridiculous. It’s daft,” he said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football. “It’s your best result of the season and you start doing this…”
Chelsea captain Conor Gallagher was forced to take control of a remarkable situation after team-mates Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson attempted to take a penalty from Cole Palmer.
Regular spot kick taker Palmer, 21, who had already scored a first-half hat-trick, was poised to score his fourth of the game against Everton on Monday night after he was fouled in the box.
Madueke had been fouled immediately after Palmer went down – with referee Paul Tierney initially giving the spot kick for the second challenge, before VAR changed it to the initial infringement.
But Madueke then refused to give the ball over, before Jackson also claimed he should be taking the penalty.
Eventually, after a length squabble, skipper Gallagher came over to diffuse the situation, handing the ball to Palmer before he slotted it home.
And commentator Alan Smith was quick to say he had “never seen anything like it”.
Madueke was substituted just minutes after the incident, before fans also quickly took to social media to condemn the bizarre scene.
One said: “Grown men behaving like kids. Pathetic.”
Another added: “Jackson and Madueke absolutely pathetic, both should be hooked off.”
A third replied: ” Madueke and Jackson, get them both off the pitch.”
🚨🚨| Before Cole Palmer's goal, the players were arguing over who was going to take the penalty.pic.twitter.com/sfXaQJI9X3
