Jamie Carragher not happy after what £50m Chelsea star did against Arsenal

Jamie Carragher not happy after what £50m Chelsea star did against Arsenal

Jamie Carragher admits he was irritated by Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling arguing with Cole Palmer over who would take the spot-kick in the weekend’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal.

The Blues threw away two points in Saturday’s action-packed draw against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, with the game raising plenty of talking points.

For example, there was a heated discussion between Chelsea stars Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer over the penalty taker in the first half. Eventually, thanks to the influence of Enzo Fernandez, Palmer took the penalty and made it 1-0 at the time.

It’s certainly something that Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino should iron out before the next game, though.

Chelsea’s penalty taker

Palmer tucked away his penalty against Arsenal with real authority, something he had to do in the aftermath of a small squabble on the pitch.

The 21-year-old attacker’s now scored penalties in back-to-back Premier League games, so we’ve got confidence in him moving forward from 12 yards.

Sky Sports pundit Carragher didn’t like to see the incident involving Sterling where he was arguing with his teammate.

“I don’t really like that. I think people should know the penalty taker before the game,” Carragher said on Sky Sports’ Main Event channel (7:25pm, 23 October).

“The one thing I did like was the actual authority shown by Enzo Fernandez. For a young player, he’s saying to a seasoned professional, Raheem Sterling, ‘listen, Cole Palmer is taking it’. Almost in that cool manner. He almost came across captain-like, maybe in his early 30s. I thought it was really interesting.”

Raheem Sterling loses this battle

Sterling, 28, is clearly desperate to be the talisman in this Chelsea side and get among the goals.

However, the £50millon forward (Daily Mail) should lose this particular penalty argument.

His career record from the spot is four penalties scored from eight attempts, which is not the kind of number you want from your specialist.

We still think Sterling is crucial to what Pochettino is building with this Chelsea line-up, but his goals and assists will be coming from open play.

As for Palmer, he’s got such composure for a 21-year-old and looks a young sensation.

Speaking via BBC Sport (9:07pm, 21 October), Pochettino described Palmer as “unbelievable” after Chelsea’s result at home to Arsenal.