Gary Neville tore into Chelsea’s discipline during their 2-0 defeat to Tottenham, insisting Morgan Rogers deserved a red card for a late challenge and that Cole Palmer could have been sent off earlier. The former Manchester United defender also urged Xabi Alonso to take action as a 14-man brawl and a red card overshadowed a miserable evening at Stamford Bridge.
Neville calls for Rogers red card
Chelsea’s evening unravelled in the second half as a spiky London derby boiled over and Tottenham ran out 2-0 winners. Rogers was booked by referee Chris Kavanagh in stoppage time for a late swipe at Conor Gallagher, but Neville felt the sanction did not go far enough.
On commentary duty for Sky Sports, Neville said: “I think that’s a red. I do. He’s absolutely wellied him with no intent. That’s ludicrous from Rogers.” He then called on the Chelsea boss to get a grip on his players, adding: “They have lost it. Xabi Alonso needs to get them off.”
Palmer lucky to avoid straight red, says Neville
Palmer was sent off in the 80th minute after picking up two bookings, but Neville believed he should not have lasted that long. The first yellow came when Palmer barged into Mateus Fernandes as the Spurs midfielder tried to get up off the floor, a moment that sparked a 14-man brawl midway through the second half.
Fernandes was booked for handball and Micky van de Ven for his earlier foul on Moises Caicedo as tempers flared, before Palmer’s late challenge on Gallagher earned him a second yellow. He added: “Palmer’s reaction was silly. He’s asking for trouble, that’s not great. He’s asking for trouble. That’s not great from Cole Palmer. No idea why he’s doing that. He was no doubt [sailing close to the wind]. I think that could be a red. Into the chest you’ll get away with it but Fernandes is on the ground. He’s got no way to defend himself. It’s a stupid thing to do.”
Alonso to speak to Palmer over red card
Palmer’s dismissal was the first red card of his career, and the first Chelsea have received in any competition this season, according to Alonso. Speaking at his post-match press conference, Alonso admitted his side must improve their emotional control and confirmed he would discuss the dismissal with Palmer internally.
He said: “Yes we need to work and we need to improve on that. I think we spoke yesterday about those things and to know that in those situations that one first yellow card can be decisive as we have seen, it is a process of the maturity of the team and of the individual players as well. We think [up until] now we haven’t received any red card and we need to continue that way because we need to have this maturity to deal with difficult moments, when you have conceded 1-0, still probably was 15-20 minutes to go, so we have to be on the way. I need to check the action to talk with Cole but it is one to learn for the future for sure.”
Palmer to miss Carabao Cup trip to Liverpool
Palmer will now serve a one-match ban, ruling him out of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup trip to Liverpool at Anfield.
He will be available again for Chelsea’s clash with Manchester United next week, while Alonso will hope his side have learned a harsh lesson in keeping their cool.