Chelsea dealt enormous Cole Palmer injury worry as Enzo Maresca reveals Man United update

Enzo Maresca has revealed that Cole Palmer was using ice on his leg after suffering a late injury against Manchester United. He was left on the floor following Lisandro Martinez's high challenge in the closing stages.

Martinez escaped a red card despite a VAR review, with Gary Neville suggesting that United were lucky to get away with the tackle. It came in stoppage time, so had little impact on the game, but did leave Palmer in a heap.

He was able to walk off the pitch at full-time, applauding the travelling fans but left frustrated after Chelsea failed to take all three points from Old Trafford. Neville was strongly against the view of VAR and Sky Sports referee specialist Mike Dean, though.

"As a professional I think that one where you leave your studs, you know you’re not getting the ball and you go in knee-high, to be fair you’re asking for a red card," he said on co-commentary. “I think he’s lucky. I think when you go knee-high and the ball’s gone, with studs, I’m not quite sure what sort of interpretation it is but I think that is a red.”

Dean, however, explained the decision. “He’s come down, he’s just caught the end of his knee with his studs. There’s not a lot of force in it, it’s more of a glancing blow down across his knee rather than endangering the safety of an opponent.”

The Premier League's Match Centre account on X (formerly Twitter), expanded on what Michael Salisbury at Stockley Park had seen. "The referee issued a yellow card to Martinez for a challenge on Palmer," it wrote after the incident. "VAR checked for a potential red card and confirmed the referee’s call of no red card, deeming that it was a reckless challenge."

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When asked by football.london post-match, Maresca was able to give a brief update on Palmer. "He was in the changing room with ice," Chelsea's boss said. "We are waiting now. Hopefully it is nothing."

The Blues host Noah on Thursday in the Conference League, a match Palmer will play no part in as he was left out of the available squad for the first part of the competition. It is a home clash against Arsenal next up in the Premier League.

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