Cole Palmer gives emphatic five-word response to Chelsea’s penalty row after embarrassing spat between Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke in 6-0 thrashing of Everton

Cole Palmer has emphatically told his Chelsea team-mates ‘I am our penalty taker’ after yet another row in Monday night’s thrashing of Everton.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side smashed six goals past the struggling Toffees but another embarrassing on-field argument over who should take a spot-kick overshadowed the win.

After Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke debated who should take the 64th-minute kick, Palmer eventually had to pull rank and take the kick himself.

He converted to score his fourth of the evening but Pochettino was left incensed at his feuding players with the issue becoming a theme this evening.

The Chelsea boss stated publicly for the first time afterwards that Palmer is now the designated taker and Palmer himself confirmed this status in a post-match interview on NBC Sports.

‘Everyone wants to score, especially the attackers. It’s nothing, we have spoken about it, we have brushed it under the carpet,’ Palmer began.

‘I think it just shows the mentality of the players, they want to take it, but the gaffer has told us, it’s been brushed aside and I’m sure it won’t happen again.’

Pressed on whether he was Chelsea’s first-choice to take penalties, Palmer then replied: ‘Well, I am now, yes.’

Pochettino said in his press conference: ‘First of all, I want to tell you to make clear that they know, the players know, the staff know, the club know, that the taker on penalties is Cole Palmer.

‘It is a shame. I am so, so upset about this situation. We are talking in the dressing room about the image that we send because this is Monday night football and in every single country they were watching the game.

‘We cannot send this type of image. It is a shame and I want to apologise to football people and our fans because that is unacceptable.’

Pochettino went on to say Madueke and Jackson would be ‘out’ if they acted in that way again.

‘I told them this is the last time I accept this type of behaviour. They’re all, involved in this situation, all out next time,’ he told Sky Sports.

‘This is not a joke. It is impossible after a performance like this.

‘It shows we are in a process where we will learn a lot, we need to change and see more in the collective way than to think of individual achievement.’

Palmer added: ‘Other players wanted to take it, which was understandable. I am the penalty taker and wanted to take it.

‘We’re just trying to show everyone that we want to take responsibility. Maybe it was over the top, the argument. We were laughing and joking about it.’

Palmer’s four-goal haul at Stamford Bridge took him to 20 Premier League goals for the season, level at the top of the Golden Boot race with his former Manchester City team-mate Erling Haaland.

Nine of those 20 goals have come from the penalty spot after Palmer emerged as Chelsea’s most reliable taker.

Dele Alli, who was a guest pundit on Sky’s Monday Night Football, said the feuding players were ‘showing their age’ over the row. 

‘This for me is them showing their age,’ said Alli when giving his analysis of the incident.

‘I am not there at the training ground every day or know who is the designated penalty taker. 

‘As far as I’m aware in the last big game when pressure was on in the last minute I didn’t see them all fighting to take it then,’ he added.

Alli then offered genuine advice to the rival strikers as he watched Everton slump to a disappointing defeat at Stamford Bridge, continuing: ‘It’s alright when it’s 4-0 and you want to get on the scoresheet. If you want to get on the scoresheet don’t do it when it’s 4-0 in an unpressurised situation.

‘It’s a shame as they did have an amazing night and people are talking about this rather than their amazing performance,’ he said.