Chelsea and manager Enzo Maresca now face a tense wait following an incident late in their match against Manchester United, when a challenge by Lisandro Martinez left young forward Cole Palmer injured. The incident occurred in stoppage time at Old Trafford, as Martinez’s studs made contact with Palmer’s left knee, leaving the 22-year-old in visible pain.
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) reviewed the incident to assess whether Martinez’s actions warranted a red card, but ultimately upheld referee Rob Jones’ original decision to issue only a yellow card. The decision left Maresca visibly frustrated on the touchline, feeling the challenge perhaps deserved a harsher punishment.
Following the hard-fought draw, Chelsea’s players, including Palmer, were given a rest day on Monday to recover from what was another demanding Premier League encounter. The club hopes Palmer can resume training by Tuesday, although he is expected to have a few additional days off, as he is not registered in Chelsea’s UEFA Conference League squad. This will provide him with some extra recovery time, which the club hopes will help him bounce back without any lingering issues from the injury.
