Maresca Explains Why He Substituted Cole Palmer in Chelsea’s Defeat to Man Utd

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has explained why he substituted Cole Palmer during the Blues’ 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The match turned on its head just minutes after kick-off when goalkeeper Robert Sánchez was shown a straight red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. Maresca admitted that the dismissal completely disrupted Chelsea’s tactical approach.

“For me personally, it is quite easy — after three to four minutes, the red card made things difficult, not only for Chelsea but for any club,” Maresca said in his post-match press conference.
“The game changed after the red card. All the planning and everything… it doesn’t exist anymore.”

Double Change, Then Palmer Withdrawal

In response to going down to 10 men, Maresca immediately sacrificed attackers Estevão Willian and Pedro Neto for defensive reinforcements. Moments later, Palmer was also withdrawn, sparking questions from fans and pundits.

Maresca clarified that the decision was influenced by the 22-year-old’s fitness struggles.

“Cole tried this morning. He had a test to play this game but he was not 100% fit,” the Italian revealed.
“He made a fantastic effort to play this game, but after 20 minutes he started to feel something, so we decided to change him.”

Praise for Palmer’s Commitment

Despite his early exit, Maresca lauded Palmer’s determination to feature in such a big fixture.

“He wanted to play this game for the team, to be close, so the effort has been huge from him,” he added.

Chelsea will now assess Palmer’s condition ahead of their upcoming fixtures as they seek to bounce back from the Old Trafford defeat.