Former Chelsea player and manager, Frank Lampard, was full of praise for standout Chelsea star Cole Palmer in the wake of the defeat in the FA Cup semi-final game against Manchester City at Wembley.
Former England star Alan Shearer agreed with him on the former Manchester City youngster being phenomenal for Chelsea this season, after trading the Etihad for Stamford Bridge.
Despite the defeat, Cole Palmer was at his usual best, pulling the strings for Chelsea in the game against Manchester City.
But for Nicholas Jackson’s wastefulness in front of goal, Chelsea would easily have won the game against the Etihad club.
Speaking to the BBC after the game, Frank Lampard said, “Cole Palmer came into a club that is in a difficult moment.”
“Maybe it has worked well for him as it has made him stand out, but it is not easy to arrive with such confidence and quiet arrogance.”
“Today is another box ticked for him. Wembley, high pressure, against Man City, can you perform again at the high level? And he has just done it.”
“The fact he has hit the ground running so quickly is amazing and there is no telling how far he can go for Chelsea and England.”
Speaking further, Frank Lampard, who gave a lot of youngsters in the Chelsea academy to shine during his time in charge at Stamford Bridge, believes Cole Palmer is the main man for Chelsea, and he showed that in the FA Cup semi-final.
“He’s the man who you want in front of goal because he was the one giving all the passes today. There were lots of positives today but in this situation the transitional squad they have let’s give them time and see if they get better,” Lampard said.
Alan Shearer, a former England international, who was on punditry duty for the BBC alongside Frank Lampard, agreed with the former Chelsea manager on his thoughts about Cole Palmer.
“Cole Palmer is the shining light of this Chelsea team, the heartbeat of the side. Everything good that happens, he is involved in it,” Alan Shearer said, adding, “His technique, his attitude, his ability to find and execute a pass at the right time.”
Nicholas Jackson was very wasteful on the night, and Alan Shearer believes Cole Palmer would have done better with those big chances the Senegalese missed.
Speaking about Nicholas Jackson’s missed chances, Alan Shearer said, “Mauricio Pochettino would have been desperate for one of those big, big chances to have fallen to Palmer rather than Nicolas Jackson because the outcome would have been different.”
“He just couldn’t find himself in those dangerous positions to get in on goal himself. He is here to stay, a top-quality player,” Shearer added.
Apart from Cole Palmer’s performance coming up for praise, Frank Lampard believes something great is in the offing for Chelsea.
Speaking about the overall play of the Blues, Frank Lampard told the BBC, “They’ve put in some good performances against the top teams. They did it twice against Manchester City, they did it against Arsenal, they did it against Aston Villa in the FA Cup.”
“There’s a good organisation and desire. Over the course of the season they’ve lacked consistency but today you can look at a good all-round performance and see those little shots of positive things and Cole Palmer has just strolled around this pitch and owned this game to a degree,” the Chelsea legend said.
The defeat to Manchester City on Saturday in the FA Cup means that Chelsea have lost their only chance of winning a trophy this season.
The Blues made the final of the League Cup but lost in extra time to Liverpool.