Cole Palmer fires back at ‘idiots’ and swears in live Sky Sports interview having finally ended his goal drought in Chelsea’s win over Liverpool
Cole Palmer blasted social media as ‘full of idiots’ after he finally broke his goal drought to down Premier League title winners Liverpool and boost Chelsea’s Champions League charge.
Palmer had faced criticism from online trolls for going 18 games without scoring but he buried a stoppage-time penalty to confirm victory at Stamford Bridge.
That first strike since January 14 came after he had been involved in both of Chelsea’s other goals with them currently sitting fifth.
Sky Sports were forced to apologise after he swore during an interview with them, saying: ‘S*** happens. I went three months without scoring but it gives me more motivation and fight to do well.
‘Not just for myself, but for the team. Social media these days is just full of idiots, basically. The trolls and that. I don’t pay any attention to that. To score, I’m happy, but it’s only one and I’ve got to keep improving and try to reach new levels.
‘If you’re getting chances and you’re not scoring, you’re letting your team down at the end of the day. Personally, I feel like I’m mentally strong. Whatever people say doesn’t bother me, I’ve had it all my life growing up so I don’t really care.
Chelsea star Cole Palmer has fired back at ‘idiots’ on social media after ending his goal drought
Palmer scored from the penalty spot in stoppage-time to seal a 3-1 win over Liverpool
The 22-year-old didn’t pay attention to ‘trolls’ during a three-month drought in front of goal
‘Obviously 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, was trying things, first time passes, playing forward, playing free.’
Manager Enzo Maresca added on Palmer: ‘Cole was happy this week, scoring in the training session. For sure, when he doesn’t score, he is not happy.
‘All the games are going to be tough. The reason the players, staff, and everyone was happy was because you need to win games. This was also the best environment with the fans that we’ve had. We need this to continue.’
Palmer now has 15 goals and 10 assists in his second season at Chelsea, who have moved level on points with fourth-placed Newcastle after their fourth consecutive win in all competitions.
That means that despite a goal drought of more than three months, he is still Chelsea’s top scorer by some distance in the Premier League, with five more than next-best Nicolas Jackson.
Former Blues striker Daniel Sturridge heaped praise on the 22-year-old England international, saying: ‘Palmer was absolutely magnificent today. There have been question marks about his consistency over the last few months but this is the Cole Palmer that we all know and love.
‘This is the Cole Palmer that gets the fans on the edge of their seats. He is an amazing footballer to watch and today was what we love to see from him.’
Chelsea face critical clashes with Newcastle and Nottingham Forest either side of a match against Manchester United in their final three Premier League fixtures.
Palmer is still Chelsea’s top scorer in the league despite his goal drought since January
Daniel Sturridge described his performance as ‘absolutely magnificent’ and ‘amazing’
The Blues are only four points behind second-placed Arsenal, but only three ahead of seventh-placed Aston Villa.
Last season they finished sixth under Mauricio Pochettino.
Alongside their domestic commitments, they are aiming to wrap up the Europa Conference League.
They bring back a 4-1 advantage over Swedish outfit Djurgardens to Stamford Bridge and are heavy favourites to reach the final, where they will face either Real Betis or Fiorentina.
