Cole Palmer’s afternoon ended abruptly at Old Trafford as the Chelsea star went down the tunnel after being substituted in the 20th minute of his side’s clash with Manchester United.
The match quickly unraveled for Enzo Maresca’s men. Just four minutes in, goalkeeper Robert Sánchez was sent off for a last-man challenge, forcing Chelsea into immediate changes to cope with being reduced to 10 men.
Palmer, along with Pedro Neto and teenage winger Estêvão, was sacrificed as part of a triple substitution aimed at shoring up the team after Sánchez’s dismissal. Andrey Santos, Djordje Petrović, and defensive reinforcements came on to restore balance, but it meant three of Chelsea’s key attacking outlets were off the pitch before the game had even settled.
Palmer, Chelsea’s talismanic playmaker this season, looked visibly frustrated as he left the pitch. Instead of joining his teammates on the bench, the England international went straight down the tunnel, sparking concern among fans about whether it was purely tactical or injury-related.
The decision to withdraw three attackers so early left Chelsea toothless going forward, and the image of Palmer disappearing down the Old Trafford tunnel summed up a nightmare opening for the Blues.
