Moises Caicedo reaction to Cole Palmer Chelsea goal vs Man Utd hands Mauricio Pochettino dilemma
Cole Palmer was once again the hero for Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea side on Thursday evening following a sensational finish to their home encounter against Manchester United. Having led 2-0 after 19 minutes before squandering their two-goal advantage to trail 3-2 deep into stoppage time, there appeared to be no way back for the Blues.
However, there was to be a late twist in the contest with Palmer converting his second penalty of the match after Diogo Dalot had fouled Noni Madueke in the box. Appearing to have got out of jail to rescue a point, Chelsea managed to find a way to win the game with Palmer’s deflected effort sparking wild scenes inside Stamford Bridge.
The Chelsea players just couldn’t contain themselves and a number of substitutes entered the pitch to celebrate with the goalscorer. Pochettino and his coaching staff also celebrated wildly on the touchline after the most remarkable of turnarounds.
In cruise control early on after goals from Conor Gallagher and Palmer, Moises Caicedo’s loose pass allowed Alejandro Garnacho the opportunity to nip in and reduce the deficit. The Chelsea’s midfielder’s error proved to be a major turning point in the match as goals from Bruno Fernandes and another from Garnacho swung the game in United’s favour.
It was no surprise then to see Caicedo celebrate so passionately as soon as Palmer’s deflected effort off Scott McTominay hit the back of the net as Chelsea somehow got themselves out of jail. Joining Malo Gusto and Axel Disasi, who had also been replaced in the closing stages, on the pitch to congratulate Palmer on his late heroics, the Ecuadorian midfielder picked up a yellow card in the 12th minute of stoppage time for his celebrations.
It means that Caicedo is now on nine yellow cards in the Premier League for the season and he is very close to obtaining a two-match ban at such a crucial time in the campaign. As per Premier League rules, any player earning 10 bookings from his side’s first 32 Premier League matches will serve a two-match ban in the same competition.
Having played 29 games of the 2023/24 Premier League term, Chelsea have three more games to go before they have played their 32nd league fixture. Their 32nd game is due to come against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, April 23, with an away match at Sheffield United and home encounter against Everton to come before then.
In order to avoid a two-match suspension over the coming weeks, Caicedo is going to have to watch his step in the upcoming games as his booking against Manchester United has put him very close to the ten bookings required to pick up a two-match suspension before the cut-off point. The former Brighton & Hove Albion man isn’t the only Chelsea player who is closing in on ten yellow cards as Nicolas Jackson is also in a similar boat on nine.
Enzo Fernandez and Palmer are then next in line on seven cautions, thus meaning they can both still receive a two-match ban if they receive yellow cards in each of Chelsea’s next three Premier League games. With European football still a possibility following the 4-3 win over Manchester United, Pochettino is going to need all his players available as they look to build on their latest victory.
