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Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has cautioned his players for bickering on the pitch over a penalty kick against Everton on Monday (April 15). The Blues claimed a comfortable 6-0 victory over the Toffees as they put on their most impressive performance of the season. However, the win was marred by the penalty incident.
One sticking point of the season has been Pochettino's refusal to appoint a penalty taker, with his decision often causing on-field arguments.
During a match against Arsenal last October, Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling got into an argument over a spot kick, with Palmer eventually scoring in a 2-2 draw. A similar issue repeated itself in the game against Everton on Monday.
Noni Madueke won the penalty kick but argued with Nicolas Jackson over who would shoot. Conor Gallagher and Moises Caicedo ultimately interfered and broke up the argument among their teammates.
Mauricio Pochettino watched the scene unfold from the sidelines and looked unimpressed with the demeanor of his players. Following the game, he told the press that his team had a lot to learn to become a great one and threatened with disciplinary action.
He said (via journalist Fabrizio Romano's X account):
“Next time they’re all out. It’s not a joke. It’s impossible after a performance like this to have this behaviour. We have to learn a lot if we want to be a great team.”
It was Cole Palmer who scored the penalty, taking him just one behind Frank Lampard's club record of 10 penalty goals in a season (2009-10). The Blues recorded a resounding win to move within three points of a Europa League place.
Cole Palmer rewrites history as Chelsea trounce Everton
Since joining Chelsea for an initial £40 million from Manchester City, Cole Palmer has continued to turn heads with his performances. The 21-year-old scored four times as the Blues put six past Everton in the Premier League on Monday.
Palmer opened the scoring for the side in the 13th minute before netting twice more (18' and 29') in the opening half-hour to set a new Premier League record. He became the fastest player to score a perfect hat-trick in a game, having done so within 30 minutes of action.
By scoring again in the second half, the forward equaled Erling Haaland atop the scoring charts with 20 goals this season. He also became the first Chelsea player to score four times in a Premier League match since Frank Lampard against Aston Villa in 2010. Palmer also became the first player in the club's history to score in seven consecutive home matches.
Nicolas Jackson scored his 10th league goal of the season (44') while Alfie Gilchrist also found the net (90') for Chelsea, who face Manchester City next in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday (April 20).
