Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher highlighted Cole Palmer’s ‘frustration’ in Chelsea’s 3-0 loss to Brighton and claimed the forward ‘will want to leave’ unless the club start competing for major trophies under Enzo Maresca.
Brighton got the better of Chelsea in every single department from minute one at the Amex Stadium and deservedly took the lead thanks to a stunning solo goal from Kaoru Mitoma midway through the first half.
Yankuba Minteh struck either side of half-time to put the Seagulls out of sight and Maresca’s men simply had nothing in reply, with the hosts holding firm to bounce back from two successive league defeats.
The result means Manchester City can leapfrog Chelsea into the Premier League top four with victory over Newcastle this weekend and Maresca cut a despondent figure on the touchline throughout.
Palmer had another frustrating evening and the England attacker is now without a goal in his last five matches for the west London giants.
‘I mentioned his [Palmer’s] frustration before,’ ex-Liverpool and England defender Carragher said on Sky Sports’ commentary of the game.
‘When you talk about projects and players and where Chelsea want to go, you look at him as a central figure of it.
‘But if they don’t get better and start competing for trophies, he will want to leave.
‘He’s one of the best players in the Premier League.
‘He will want to be competing for the Champions League and Premier League.
According to Carragher, Chelsea got ‘absolutely battered’ by Chelsea ‘in all departments’, leaving their travelling ‘rightly’ furious.
‘They’ve been badly beaten and it could have been a lot worse,’ he added.
‘Brighton just absolutely battered them in all departments.
‘Just watching the Chelsea players going over to the supporters, there’s very few of them still there. They’re a very angry bunch and rightly so.’
Carragher warned that Chelsea’s season could very quickly ‘unravel’ unless Maresca is able to steady the ship in their upcoming games.
‘They have been outclassed in every department. You’ve got to take the medicine,’ he went on.
‘They have got to get back to winning games and very quickly or this season could really unravel for them.
‘The European competition that they’re in is almost not a competition that Chelsea should be in really.
‘Even if they win that, I don’t think much credit would be given to them.’
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