Mauricio Pochettino has demanded that Chelsea's players stop trying to take penalties off Cole Palmer after an incident marred their 6-0 win over Everton on Monday night.
After seven successive games where at least two goals had been scored and conceded, Chelsea finally registered their first clean sheet since a goalless draw with Aston Villa in January.
The Blues took advantage of some poor Everton defending to run riot at Stamford Bridge, Palmer scoring a magnificent four goals with Nicolas Jackson and Alfie Gilchrist also getting on the scoresheet.
However, not for the first time this season, attention was taken away from the end result through Palmer's teammates attempting to take a penalty off him.
On this occasion, Noni Madueke and Jackson were the guilty parties, the former petulantly trying to keep possession of the ball and Jackson later getting involved as he bid to score his second of the night.
Palmer, who has never missed a penalty from under-18 level upwards, shook off the distraction to confidently put Chelsea 5-0 ahead, only after Conor Gallagher had stepped in to push his teammates away.
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How did Palmer, Pochettino react?
Rather than speak about the manner of a win that keeps Chelsea in the hunt for European qualification, there was more post-match interest in the squabble for the spot kick.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Palmer said: "Other players wanted to take it, but I am the penalty taker and I wanted to take it.
"I think we are showing everyone is wanting to take responsibility it may be a bit over the top, but everyone wants to win – we are laughing and joking about it."
Palmer added that Pochettino had spoken about the issue with the players in the dressing room, the Argentine admitting that the conduct of Madueke and Jackson had been "a shame".
At his post-match press conference, as quoted by football.london, he added: "Yes, I think after we need to talk about the game but first of all I am going to tell you, to make clear; the players know, the staff know, the club know that the penalty taker is Cole Palmer. All that happened after is a shame. I am so, so upset about this situation.
"We were talking in the dressing room about the image that we send, because it's Monday Night Football – every single country they were watching the game and we cannot send this type of image. It's a shame. I want to apologise to the people and to our fans because that is unacceptable.
"The discipline is the most important thing for the team. That is a quality of the sport. Of course the players need to show that they have the hunger to score goals and everything but this type of situation, we are going to make a decision if that happens, we were talking in a very good way because we need to make the situation clear.
"But I am not going to accept again this type of behaviour. I am going to be very strong if something like this happens again. I was telling them and I promise this is not going to happen again. It is type of the process that we need to learn when you have a young squad that sometimes the personal aims are in front of the collective."
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A repeat offence for Madueke...
Earlier in the season, and in the absence of Palmer, Madueke stepped up to net a late penalty to secure Chelsea a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace.
Enzo Fernandez has also scored a penalty with Palmer being on the pitch, against Brighton & Hove Albion, contributing to the pair trying to take a spot kick off Palmer when Chelsea were trailing 3-2 to Manchester United in their previous home fixture.
Before the international break, Raheem Sterling also made the decision to try to take the ball off Palmer in the FA Cup quarter-final against Leicester City. The England international succeeded, and missed.
Jackson has never taken a single penalty in his professional career and is at least fourth down the penalty pecking order behind Palmer, Fernandez and Madueke.
Victory for Chelsea has moved them to within one point of eighth-placed West Ham United in the Premier League standings, as well as having two matches in hand on the Hammers.
Darren Plant
