Cole Palmer was full of praise for his Blues team-mate and friend Morgan Rogers after the duo scored the goals that gave Chelsea victory over Manchester United, and also had words for Estevao Willian after the Brazilian’s return to the starting XI.
The Blues secured a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge in Saturday’s early Premier League kick-off, with Palmer and Rogers helping make up for the absence of striker Joao Pedro by both finding the back of the net.
Palmer did so from the penalty spot, getting his 50th Premier League goal for the club on his 105th appearance. Only Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Diego Costa have reached that landmark faster.
That came after Rogers had opened the scoring early in the second half. Romeo Lavia won possession in midfield, allowing the England international to pick up the ball and carry it almost the entire length of the Man Utd half, before lifting a deft finish over goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
‘That's what he does, you know,’ Palmer responded with a shrug and a smirk when asked about Rogers’ latest stunning goal for the Blues.
‘He gets the ball between the lines and when he drives he makes things happen. He went all the way himself and it was a great finish.’
With Pedro Neto taking on the centre forward role against the Red Devils, Estevao Willian came into the attack on the wing, making his first Premier League start of the season.
The Brazilian made the most of his opportunity, producing several eye-catching moments and finding the back of the net twice, only to have the goals ruled out for offside, the second for the narrowest of VAR calls.
‘He needed to be patient for his moment and he got his moment today,’ Cole said of Estevao’s performance. ‘You could see in moments he was very good.
‘He was unlucky with the offside; I think it was literally a centimetre. But we know the talent he's got and we all love him. So hopefully he can continue like that.’
It was an important three points for Chelsea, dismissing the memories of last week’s loss to Tottenham Hotspur and the midweek Carabao Cup exit at Liverpool on penalties. The result also moves us back into the top four – at least temporarily – and makes it three wins from four matches in the Premier League since the last international break.
‘It was very important to get back to winning ways, obviously after the last defeat, so it's good,’ added Palmer, before explaining what changed in the second half to allow us to break the deadlock and win the game.
‘I just think we were more intense. The chances they had were from us losing the ball, so we tried to play a bit smarter, a bit sharper and not losing the ball as easily, and I think it helped.’