Chelsea missed out on a great chance to show Manchester Ciy’s costly error in selling Cole Palmer in 2023 once again after letting slip a 1-0 lead against Fulham on Boxing Day.
Pep Guardiola was a huge fan of Palmer at City and gave the youngster his breakthrough at the Etihad as a rare academy graduate.
Despite the clear talent of Palmer as a future prospect, City continued to spend millions and the attacker eventually pushed for an exit with minutes hard to come by.
Instead of backing their own, City were content in taking the cash for their academy product and running.
Chelsea blew a 1-0 lead against Fulham
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The move worked fine for City last season with Chelsea once again unable to break into the top four with another managerial change while Guardiola’s team romped to another title.
But the signs were there that Palmer was going to be trouble for Chelsea’s rivals and he’s continued that form this year to help push Enzo Maresca’s side up towards the top of the table heading into the New Year.
In contrast, City have been in a worrying decline with Guardiola’s side decimated by injuries and players woefully out of form.
No player other than Erling Haaland has scored more than five goals in all competitions for City this campaign with defender Josko Gvardiol the team’s joint-second highest scorer with four.
Kevin De Bruyne’s injury woes have exposed City’s lack of alternative creative options through the middle.
And Palmer proved just how much City must be missing his ability now with a sublime solo goal against Fulham.
The 22-year-old picked up the ball 45 yards out from goal and tricked his way past a couple of challenges before calmly slotting the ball past Bernd Leno from the edge of the box.
The attacker has been involved in nearly half of Chelsea’s 38 Premier League goals this season.
Cole Palmer has been a cut above the rest
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Chelsea were unable to hold on to all three points in the end with Fulham scoring two goals late on to stun Stamford Bridge.
But there remains a gulf in class between Chelsea and City at the moment with Guardiola’s side looking devoid of any real creativity.
Palmer had that in abundance when he was still a raw talent at the Etihad, but Chelsea have given him the tools to succeed and he’s more than repaid his fee.
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Chelsea know how it feels to let someone slip through their fingers with both De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah going on to become mega stars elsewhere.
But it’s clear for all to see that Palmer is proving to be a costly error for City every week.