Football

‘The last time I will accept this’ – Pochettino on penalty disagreement against Everton

Mauricio Pochettino warned he will not accept the type of behaviour which saw his Chelsea players argue over who would take a second-half penalty in their 6-0 win over Everton.

Cole Palmer scored a perfect hat-trick in the first half an hour of Chelsea’s win and added a fourth from the penalty spot in the second half after Noni Madueke was fouled.

But Madueke and striker Nicolas Jackson, who also scored in the first half, looked frustrated at not being given the opportunity to take the spot-kick themselves.

“It’s a shame,” Pochettino said to Sky Sports.

“I was telling the players before, when we arrive from the pitch, we had a meeting with all the staff also to explain.

“For me, it’s a shame. We cannot behave in this way.

“I told them that this is the last time I will accept this type of behaviour.

“It’s impossible after a performance like this to have this type of behaviour. It shows that we are in a process and we need to learn a lot, like a team, if we want to be a great team fighting for big things.

“We need to change something more in a collective way rather than thinking about individual achievement and it’s so clear. I made clear to them and I make clear through you, to the fans, and to everyone, that Cole Palmer is the taker, then if Palmer wants to give the ball to another he can do that but not in this way.

“That is a really sad situation to happen and I don’t want to accept it happening again.”

Palmer, however, says there are no hard feelings between his Chelsea team-mates.

“Obviously other players wanted to take it, which is understandable, the game was 4-0,” Palmer told Sky Sports.

“But I’m the penalty taker and I wanted to take it so in the end I took it, but I think it just shows everyone wants to take responsibility.

“Maybe it was a bit over the top, the arguments and stuff, but everyone just wants to win and help so it’s nothing major.

“We were laughing and joking about it an the gaffer has told us now.”

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