Cole Palmer: Having a game every three days is harder than people think

Cole Palmer appealed for understanding from Chelsea fans after their mini-slump ended with a 2-0 win over Everton, claiming the team’s schedule is tougher than people realise.

The 24-year-old scored the opening goal on his first Stamford Bridge start in four months after returning from a groin injury, just his third Premier League goal from open play this year.

It was a first win in five for the Blues following a run that saw them lose away at Leeds and Atalanta as well as playing out a drab goalless draw at Bournemouth.

Afterwards, head coach Enzo Maresca made the surprise claim that he has not received support from certain parties, whom he would not name, and claimed the previous 48 hours had been his worst at Chelsea.

But, after the team got back to winning ways, Palmer came out in defence of his team-mates and manager, saying people fail to realise the demands made on the team.

“I’ve been out for a while, probably the longest I’ve ever been out, so I was itching to get back out there with the team,” he said. “To start and score was a nice feeling.

“We’ve obviously had a difficult few games, and it’s harder than people think, a game every three days. It’s a lot of travel and it’s difficult, so to get the win is great.”

Palmer had not started a home game since the opening weekend of the season.

He made his first start since September 20 in last weekend’s draw at Bournemouth, lasting around an hour, but his inclusion from the start against Everton clearly gave a boost to the team and fans, emphasised when he scored the opening goal after 21 minutes.

Maresca has said he plans to manage carefully the number of minutes Palmer gets as he returns to full fitness following a recurring groin issue.

“I didn’t want to rush back too soon and then get injured again, and I’m still managing it, so it’s just about getting better each day,” said Palmer.

“I enjoyed being back out there, and I’m still not near 100 per cent in terms of fitness and sharpness, but I’m getting there and hopefully I’ll be there soon. I don’t want to do too much too soon but I’m getting there.”

Everton defender Jake O’Brien reflected on a disappointing loss as his team missed out on a victory that would have carried them into the top four.

“We just gave them two goals at the start and it kind of killed us for the rest of the game,” O’Brien told the club’s website.

“We’ll go back and look at it. I think we got in good positions and on another day we take them and it’s a whole different game.

“But the performance wasn’t bad today. I’m disappointed by the result, but I think there are positives to take from the result. We can bring that into next week.”