Chelsea’s Cole Palmer has broken his silence following Sunday’s devastating defeat in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool. Despite a tightly contested affair at Wembley Stadium, Virgil van Dijk’s header in the 118th minute shattered Chelsea’s hopes of lifting the trophy.
The match remained deadlocked at 0-0 after 90 minutes, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side showing promise, especially after Liverpool introduced three teenagers during extra time. Chelsea had numerous opportunities to clinch victory, recording 19 shots throughout the match, but Conor Gallagher’s missed chance in the dying minutes of regulation proved costly.
The prospect of securing Chelsea’s first trophy under Todd Boehly’s ownership seemed within reach during extra time. However, Liverpool’s goalkeeper, Caoimhin Kelleher, stood firm, denying Chelsea any breakthrough. Ultimately, Van Dijk’s decisive header dashed Chelsea’s hopes, leaving them empty-handed.
The defeat raises questions about Mauricio Pochettino’s leadership and the direction of the club under Boehly and Clearlake Capital. Pochettino’s apparent disregard for Boehly at the conclusion of the match adds further fuel to the speculation surrounding the future of Chelsea Football Club.
Reaction from the Chelsea players have been rather muted since the heartbreak at Wembley. However, Palmer has taken to his Instagram story with a brief message.
Posting alongside a picture of him posing a dejected figure at full-time, the forward wrote: “Pain *frustrated emoji* *sad face emoji* we’ll be back! thanks for the fans for the support *blue love heart emoji*.”
Pochettino was asked after the game about how he will go about picking up such a young squad after the Wembley setback. “Nothing, nothing, No,” he replied.
“They are professionals, they are very competitive and now we need to move forward, but they need to feel the pain. We play for a trophy and we didn’t get, and now it’s the same. Nothing you can tell me can make me feel better.
