Paul Merson and Owen Hargreaves react as Cole Palmer fires blank again in Chelsea win over Southampton
Chelsea secured a much-needed boost by winning in convincing fashion at home to Southampton on Tuesday night, but Cole Palmer continued his unwanted streak by not scoring or assisting again.
The Blues are back up to fourth in the Premier League after the 4-0 victory over Southampton. Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, Levi Colwill and Marc Cucurella were all on the scoresheet during a one-side match at Stamford Bridge.
The Chelsea player ratings against Southampton highlighted some impressive individual performances from the midweek success.
Unfortunately, Cole Palmer stretched his run to seven matches across all competitions without a goal or assist.
Paul Merson and Owen Hargreaves react as Cole Palmer misses out against Southampton
During a night when Chelsea hit four goals, it must be extra frustrating for Palmer that he didn’t directly contribute.
According to Paul Merson, the Chelsea playmaker may be suffering with a lack of confidence right now in the final third. It must be a bit of a shock to the system for the 22-year-old because nearly everything he’s touched has turned to gold since he joined the Blues.
Merson told the Sky Sports News channel (10:14pm, 25 February): “At the start of the season, he would have had four [goals]. For his talent and how good he is, they weren’t hard chances. I’m not saying they were half chances, they were real good chances. That’s where he is at the moment. He’s just struggling in front of goal. Maybe his confidence is a bit low… It will come. At least he keeps getting in the positions.”
Meanwhile, Owen Hargreaves reacted to Palmer’s latest display by admitting he did miss some goalscoring opportunities versus Southampton.
“Cole Palmer had a few big chances which he didn’t take. He’s chatting to Enzo Maresca who is probably trying to keep him onside as he’s a brilliant player,” Hargreaves told the Premier League’s official website (10:11pm, 25 February).
Palmer won a squad fitness test in recent days at Chelsea, so he’s clearly still doing the right things and keeping himself razor sharp. He just needs that slice of luck to go his way to get him back on another goalscoring run again.
What the statistics show from Cole Palmer’s display vs Southampton
The headline will be that Palmer’s gone another match without a goal or assist, but it certainly wasn’t down to a lack of effort in the Southampton match.
In Tuesday’s victory, the attacking midfielder tried everything to get himself back on the scoresheet. His finishing just isn’t coming as naturally as it has for the first 18 months of his Blues career, though.
| Minutes played | Goals | Assists | Total shots | Accurate passes | Chances created | Big chances missed | Match rating |
| 90 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 39/46 (85%) | 1 | 2 | 7.4 |
As you can see above, the English playmaker was at the heart of the action with numerous attacking opportunities.
We’re hopeful he can end his drought in the upcoming Chelsea matches against Copenhagen (Conference League) and Leicester City (Premier League).
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