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Cole Palmer has come under fire for missing a sitter during Chelsea’s Carabao Cup clash with Middlesbrough on Tuesday evening.
Palmer had the chance to level the score at the end of the first half after Hayden Hackney gave Michael Carrick’s side the lead in the 37th minute.
Palmer’s opportunity came after Middlesbrough goalkeeper Tom Glover spilled the ball following Enzo Fernandez’s long range effort.
The ball fell into the path of Palmer, who was five yards out from the goal. All he had to do was slot it into the back of the net to cap off a disappointing first half.
However, the 21-year-old midfielder fired the ball over the crossbar and immediately put his head into his hands in shock.
Cole Palmer comes under fire for missing a sitter during Chelsea’s clash with Middlesbrough
Palmer had the chance to level the score at the end of the first half but missed the target
As a result, Middlesbrough went into the break with the advantage, leading the Premier League giants 1-0 at the Riverside Stadium.
Fans were quick to mock Palmer on social media. One supporter took to X to write: ‘Nahhh the way Palmer misses chances is too cold’.
Another added: ‘Cole Palmer missing two sitters is mentally draining.’ While one fan said: ‘The striker curse has infected Palmer.’
Another supporter took to social media to write: ‘Palmer looks like an absolute bum out there. Looks levels below.’
While one fan joked: ‘Even Nunez would bag from there!’.
Mark Schwarzer and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink discussed Palmer’s faux pas at half-time, claiming they were ‘surprised’ the 21-year-old had missed from such close quarters.
Schwarzer started by saying: ‘We were saying that if these chances fell to someone else, that we would have said Cole Palmer would score. We’re all sitting there surprised he’s missed.
‘It did start to rain. I’m not making excuses as it’s a big mistake given the level, obviously. But I think he’s caught two minds as to whether he should attack it or chest it and it goes horribly wrong.’
Hasselbaink added: ‘Normally, in his right set, he would have gone everything or nothing and hit it a little bit harder. And then it would be a goal.
‘A little bit more with the outside [of his boot] than it would be a goal. But look, he’s missed two chances. Two really good chance that he normally would put away. That’s why he’s a little bit cautious.’
