Enzo Maresca explains why Cole Palmer found it so difficult to play against Everton
Cole Palmer had one of his quieter games in a Chelsea shirt over the weekend.
Chelsea drew 0-0 with Everton in their final ever trip to Goodison Park, with Cole Palmer unable to make his usual impact.
It saw Liverpool increase their lead at the top of the Premier League table back to four points following their 6-3 win against Tottenham Hotspur.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool |
16 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 37 | 16 | 21 | 39 |
| 2 |  ChelseaChelsea |
17 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 37 | 19 | 18 | 35 |
| 3 |  ArsenalArsenal |
17 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 34 | 16 | 18 | 33 |
| 4 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest |
17 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 19 | 4 | 31 |
| 5 |  B’mouthBournemouth |
17 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 27 | 21 | 6 | 28 |
| 6 |  Aston VillaAston Villa |
17 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 28 |
Enzo Maresca has since spoken about Palmer’s struggles during the game. Maresca also discussed goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, stating that he was happy with the 27-year-old after his performance at Goodison.
No space for Cole Palmer in Chelsea’s draw with Everton
Palmer is one of the best goalscorers and playmakers in the Premier League. He can make something happen from nothing.
However, against Everton, the attacking midfielder could not really influence things, with Maresca putting that down to a lack of space.
“In general, you always struggle to create chances against them,” the 44-year-old was quoted as saying by Chelsea’s official website. “We knew it would be a tough game in terms of clear chances. For sure we could have attacked better, but there was not space for Cole.
“In the last half-hour, we tried to move Enzo [Fernandez] into an attacking midfielder, with Malo [Gusto] next to Moi [Caicedo] to change something.”
After the game, Everton defender James Tarkowski praised his teammates for keeping Palmer quiet.
Cole Palmer’s numbers vs Everton
Palmer certainly did not have his best game against Everton, yet he still managed to create some opportunities for Chelsea.
The Englishman finished the match with three key passes and one big chance created. It shows that even on a quiet day, Palmer can still produce something in attack.
| Cole Palmer vs Everton | Total |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Key passes | 3 |
| Big chances created | 1 |
| Dribble attempts (successful) | 6 (4) |
Overall, Palmer is still having a really good season. In 17 Premier League appearances, the England international has scored 11 goals and provided six assists.
Manchester United legend Jaap Stam spoke about Palmer last week, claiming that he is the most influential player in the English top flight right now.
The former Manchester City player is allowed to have the odd game where he is quiet. Going forward, you would not expect too many more, with there being few sides who are as defensively resilient as Sean Dyche’s team.
Chelsea’s next game is against Fulham at Stamford Bridge, and you would expect Palmer to bounce back, given how excellent his home form is.
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