Cole Palmer issued a response to social media “idiots and trolls” for the criticism he has received over recent months after ending his goal drought against Liverpool.
The Chelsea midfielder, who enjoyed such a stunning first season at Stamford Bridge in 2023/24, had managed only two goal contributions in his previous 12 games coming into Sunday’s win over the newly crowned league champions.
But a player-of-the-match performance and last-minute penalty, his first goal since January 14, put those woes behind him – with Noni Madueke celebrating his strike by also appearing to mock the criticism he has received.
Palmer could already have had a goal by then, but was denied by the far post after beating Alisson from a tight angle in a showing in which the England midfielder looked back to his best.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Palmer hit back at some of the comments aimed in his direction during his personal on-pitch struggles. The 22-year-old said they did not affect him – but that his own critique of his performances had left him feeling like he was “letting the team down”.
“**** happens,” he told Sky Sports about his near four-month spell without a goal. “It gives me more fight to do well not just for myself, but for my team.
“Social media nowadays is full of idiots, the trolls and whatever. I don’t pay any attention to that. To score today, I’m happy, but I’ve got to keep improving and try to reach new levels.
“If you’re getting chances and not scoring… you’re letting your team down at the end of the day. I feel like I’m mentally strong anyway so whatever people say, it doesn’t bother me. I’ve had it all the time growing up.
“I feel pride in helping the team and if I’m not doing that, I’m not happy. Today, I felt like myself. I felt confident, I was trying things, first time passes, playing forward, playing free and when you have him [Moises Caicedo] next to you, it’s a dream.”
Redknapp: Form is temporary, class is permanent
Jamie Redknapp said Palmer is “too good” to have remained out of form for the long term, given the level of impact he had made in his first 18 months at Stamford Bridge.
“We always realise that form is temporary and class is permanent,” he said on Super Sunday. “He is too good to be impacted for a long period.
“You could see it today, it was oozing out of him. He played with real freedom and was enjoying his game.
“When things aren’t going right for you, that is what you need to do.
“Everything he did was effortless. It was a real joy. Football needs players like him. They do things differently. When he gets it, it is like time stands still.”
Former Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge paid particular tribute to Palmer’s determination to block out noise and judge himself by his own standards.
“I appreciate how much he cares,” he said. “When he does interviews he’s open about how he feels. You can see how much pride he takes in football. It’s not about what everyone else thinks – it’s about what he thinks. When you set your standards so high and you don’t get there, it hurts. I’ve been there.
“When you play at a big club there is going to be criticism but what I liked is that he doesn’t care about it.
“Some things on social may slip through the cracks as people will send you a one-liner here or there but it’s best to concentrate on being the best you can be.
“He’s very proud of that. His teammates too, as they understand how hard he works. He’s an unbelievable player and all the top players in the world have gone through difficult periods.”
