Chelsea

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Cole Palmer was named the eighth‑best player in the world at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in September, but both data and the eye test indicate a dip in form.

The 23-year-old is still regarded within Chelsea as "untouchable". However, even by the reigning PFA Young Player of the Year's own admission, Palmer is not yet operating at his fluid, brilliant best - with several mitigating factors contributing to that downturn.

Palmer has seven goals and three assists in 16 matches since returning from the groin issue in December. However, four of those goals have come from the penalty spot.

Penalties have boosted Palmer's numbers throughout his career. Only former midfielders Mark Noble and Mikel Arteta have a higher proportion of penalties among players with 40 or more Premier League goals, compared with Palmer's current 40% ratio.

No player in the Premier League has scored more penalties than Palmer's 18 since his Chelsea debut in September 2023 - underlining why the man nicknamed 'Cold' is already viewed as one of the best finishers from 12 yards in the competition's modern era.

Palmer's form has dipped since his sensational 2024 calendar year. From his Chelsea debut to the meeting with Bournemouth in January 2025, Palmer scored 36 league goals (33% of them penalties) and provided 17 assists in 54 matches.

Since then, he has scored nine league goals (66% penalties) and registered three assists in 33 games. Palmer is taking fewer shots, creating fewer chances and posting lower expected‑goals and expected‑assists numbers across those two periods.

Interestingly, Chelsea have also shown they can compete without him.

Without Palmer, Chelsea have won 73% of their games this season compared with just 24% when he plays. They have taken 2.27 points per match without him compared with 1.18 with him and have improved from 1.5 to 2.2 goals per game in his absence.

They are curious statistics given Palmer's decisive performances in both the Conference League final victory over Real Betis in May and the Club World Cup triumph against Paris St‑Germain in July, wins that confirmed his status as Chelsea's main match-winner.

Noel Sliney
BBC Sport senior journalist

Aston Villa equalled their club record of 11 wins in a row in all competitions just after Christmas when they came from behind to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge courtesy of two second-half goals by Ollie Watkins.

Villa are now looking to complete a first league double over Chelsea since 1989-90 but their recent laboured performances have given the visitors an opportunity to move within striking distance as the race for Champions League qualification intensifies.

Villa feeling the pressure

These are tense times at Villa Park. What started as a wobble has escalated into a collapse of form. Ponderous, passive and profligate, Aston Villa's recent displays have worrying echoes of their early-season malaise when it took them five league games to score and six to win.

Unai Emery's side are perhaps fortunate their current run of two wins, five goals and nine points from eight matches has not been punished more heavily by the chasing pack in the hunt for a Champions League spot.

Nonetheless, Villa had an eight-point cushion in third place early in the year but could find themselves only three points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea by full-time. There were 12 points between the sides seven games ago.

Another failure to qualify for the Champions League would be both a sporting and financial calamity for the Birmingham club. The subdued atmosphere at Villa Park of late is a reflection, in part, of the anxiety felt by supporters who are acutely aware that key players will be sold, with limited scope to reinvest in the squad, if Villa don't return to Europe's premier club competition.

Morgan Rogers, the scorer of Villa's only goal from open play across their past six league and cup matches, admitted after Friday's dismal defeat to bottom side Wolves that the team were feeling the pressure too. "It does weigh on us but it shouldn't," he said. "We deserve to be here and we should not forget that."

Villa need to swiftly remember how to win as their next four matches could be season-defining, with successive league games against Champions League rivals Chelsea and Manchester United and a two-legged Europa League tie against Lille.

Chelsea with issues to address

Chelsea are enduring their own slump in form, albeit not to the extent of Villa's. They won their first four league fixtures under head coach Liam Rosenior but have since drawn at home to promoted pair Leeds and Burnley, despite leading late on in both games, and then paid for errors and ill-discipline away to Arsenal on Sunday.

Pedro Neto's red card during that match was Chelsea's seventh in the Premier League this season – three more than any other club in the division – and their ninth in all competitions. Rosenior subsequently warned his players that he will not pick those he cannot trust to "stay disciplined".

Sunday's defeat highlighted two other areas the head coach must quickly address if he is to guide Chelsea to Champions League qualification through their league placing. Firstly, the Blues conceded two soft goals from corners against Arsenal and have let in seven overall from such situations in Rosenior's 13 matches in charge.

It also means they have only once beaten a current top-six side this season – Liverpool back in October – and have the worst head-to-head record of those teams, with Aston Villa having the best. With four games still to play against sides currently above them, Chelsea's top-five prospects may rest on whether they can significantly improve their results in those fixtures.

Aston Villa are on a terrible run and are going to fall out of the top four at this rate.

Chelsea are not exactly flying at the moment either, but their biggest problem is that they can't keep 11 players on the pitch - they probably would have got something against Arsenal on Sunday if not for Pedro Neto's silly red card.

It's hard to back either team to get the win, so I am going to sit on the fence here.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Liam Rosenior admits Chelsea are "running out of time" and need to qualify for Champions League for the season to be considered a success.

The 41-year-old head coach, appointed in January from partner club Strasbourg, has overseen a three-game winless run after defeat at Arsenal on Sunday.

It increases the pressure on Chelsea, who are six points behind top four rivals Manchester United and Aston Villa, before a visit to the latter Midlands club on Wednesday night.

"A successful season for this club has to be to qualify for the Champions League. It has to be," Rosenior told reporters.

"I'm not shouting from the rooftops. That's the level of club this club is. Where we are, we still have a very, very good chance of achieving that.

"Also to win a trophy would be amazing and it's something that's achievable. It's funny today, it's the first time we trained with the white balls. For me, when those white balls come out, we can't make those mistakes that we're making.

"Because you're running out of time and that's the message myself and my staff have given the players this morning."

However, despite the importance of finishing in the top four, with a fifth Champions League place looking likely depending on how English teams perform in Europe this season, Rosenior won't prioritise Chelsea's league commitments.

"No. I don't look at it that way," he added. "I want to win every game I play. I know it sounds very cliched but it's true. That's why we're here. Whether it's Arsenal, Aston Villa or Wrexham away, we want to win and we expect to win every game."

After facing Villa, Chelsea have away games at in-form Championship play-off chasing Wrexham and against European champions Paris St-Germain in the last-16 of the Champions League.

The latest news and views on the Blues in two minutes, every weekday afternoon.

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Will Faulks
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea are still reeling from another frustrating game at the weekend, where the Blues destroyed any chance they had of getting a result against Arsenal with some shocking set-piece defending and another infuriating red card.

But there's no time to stew on it - the next match is already on the horizon. They face top five rivals Aston Villa on Wednesday night, knowing that a defeat will constitute another hammer blow to their Champions League chances.

After three games without a win, you won't find many people backing Liam Rosenior's team to get a result at Villa Park, despite their opposition being in a similar slump. The errors, ill-discipline and lack of leadership that has hurt them time and again in the last few years haven't gone anywhere. Rosenior is at least acknowledging them, but so far there's no evidence that he's been able to change anything.

Surely he spent the week focusing on discipline after Wesley Fofana's red cost the team a week ago? Well, you'd have been forgiven for thinking the coach didn't mention it at all when you saw Enzo Fernandez getting a yellow card for petulantly chucking the ball away; or the utterly unforgivable three minutes where Pedro Neto got his own yellow for dissent, then followed it with a second caution for a braindead lunge.

This group keep being called "inexperienced," but you can't say that of Fofana, Fernandez or Neto. They are immature, which is something very different. To be honest, they also come off as just plain old-fashioned stupid when they're so unable to separate their actions from the inevitable consequences.

Most Chelsea fans lost patience with the club's sporting directors long ago. The ownership who appointed them weren't far behind. Now some of the players themselves are really pushing their luck.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton says Chelsea need to address their ill-discipline "collectively" because it is hindering them this season in their push for a top-four finish.

Chelsea have received seven red cards from 28 games in the 2025-26 season, with winger Pedro Neto the latest to see red in a 2-1 defeat by league leaders Arsenal.

The Blues are seeing red an average of once every four games, and if that run continues they might match or break the current record.

"Neto is not 18 or 19 years old where you can maybe excuse it as youthful exuberance," said Sutton on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "He is 25 years old.

"His second challenge was just idiotic, especially such a short time after the first - he'd literally just been booked.

"Collectively, it is a problem because they don't want to be in that position, so you should assume it is something they have discussed. It's also not like it's difficult to get to the bottom of."

In addition to Neto, Robert Sanchez, Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Moises Caicedo, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella have all been given their marching orders by referees this campaign.

"They [all the red cards so far this season by players] are all different but you can't excuse Neto's sending off and because of it they are shooting themselves in the foot," Sutton added.

"It's not helping Liam Rosenior and their top-four aims. He talks about accountability and that is a young, inexperienced squad - but they are old enough to know better."

Watch the full episode of Monday Night Club on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Premier League game against Aston Villa at Villa Park (19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Rosenior said Cole Palmer "took a knock" in Sunday's defeat to Arsenal but "is looking really good" and is "absolutely fine" to start on Wednesday.

• Marc Cucurella is "looking really good" and will "hopefully" be fit to face Wrexham on Saturday if he does not return against Villa, while Estevao Willian is "back on the pitch running, which is great".

• Reflecting on Pedro Neto's red card at Emirates Stadium, Rosenior said: "You need team-mates to help, but it comes down to yourself. Pedro [Neto] has apologised to the group. I need to see an improvement in the behaviour now - it's not just Pedro. We've had bookings for needless dissent and fouls. If we're to improve and get to where we want to be, we have to make a conscious step now to make sure it doesn't happen again."

• More on the Blues' disciplinary issues: "It needs to improve. My job is to create a culture of accountability where if you make a mistake it's OK, but you have to hold your hand up and not do it again. You pick players who are showing improvement. I can't go through the season with a red card every two to three games."

• However, he defended Enzo Fernandez's yellow card record: "Enzo [Fernandez] is a top leader. This is something that needs to improve [across the board - discipline]. Sometimes you need to go through experiences to improve."

• Reflecting on defeat by the Gunners, Rosenior said: "I don't think anyone can say in the moment, other than the two set-pieces, the team did not function well. We lost the game because we didn't take care of the moments. Disappointment and a missed opportunity. They are the two main things. Not just the game yesterday, but the past three games. The performances - tactically, technically - very good, but in the moments that have mattered, we have not taken advantage."

• On the concession of two goals from corners: "It's a key thing we have to improve. I've taken more responsibility in the past week, as I know it is something that has to improve."

• Rosenior said there "needs to be a review at the end of the season" regarding the way teams are affecting goalkeepers from set-pieces.

• On Villa: "They have great attacking players. Our players know each strength of each individual we are up against. They are clinical. They are a good team. It's going to be tough."

Follow all of Monday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary of Aston Villa v Chelsea on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 and BBC Sounds

Got a question about Chelsea? Get in touch here and we'll put it to our experts

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Arsenal and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

Arsenal fans

Tim: Pragmatic if not thrilling. Arsenal seem to be coping better with run-in pressure than in previous seasons. Once chewed up fingers recover I can be grateful for three points in an edgy contest that could have gone either way. C'mon you Gooners!

Nick: Arsenal don't get enough credit for how good they are. So many games pundits and company talk about us being dominated and not being the best team. If Timber doesn't score when he does we dominate the rest of the game on the hunt for a goal - with an occasional counter threat. It's all about timing and we've showed when drawing or a goal down how we can ramp it up. We go a goal up and of course that changes the way the game goes.. it's how they roll. When they win the quadruple let's see the reaction. We might about to see the beginning of a dynasty with all the gunners stars coming into their prime. Look out..

Dug: Same old Arsenal ,always doing things the hard way! Got there in the end though, still in our hands. We have to remember that winning the league isn't easy and there will be a lot more nervy moments but there is one thing they can do to make things less nervy and that is to cut out stupid little mistakes that seem to be creeping in. Come on Gunners, be calm, let's do this!

Gerry: Frustrating because Arsenal have so much quality and talent and were man for man better than Chelsea apart from the corner. Really Arsenal should have been out of sight. The issue is mentality. Nothing more nothing less. They can win a lot this season if they sort out their own heads.

Chelsea fans

Stephen: Chelsea are maddeningly inconsistent and the sending offs are hurting. Defence does not seem strong enough when pressed. Not convinced that we will finish in top four!

Scott: A Chelsea red card - what a surprise...this team is so ill-disciplined. Now in 6th place and that's where we'll finish. Expecting Rosenior to move this team forward quickly is nothing short of ridiculous with an average defence and a Championship level goalkeeper.

Rob: Immature, unprofessional, unmotivated - this American experiment is as incompetent as it is arrogant - the financial situation is getting scary and our chances of generating revenue from competitions or stadium capacity increase are receding fast.

Andy: If the goalkeepers had swapped sides Chesea would have won the match. Sanchez at fault for both Arsenal goals, spending too much attention on opposition players in the box instead of focusing on the ball. Kicking poor overall. For all the good things Chelsea did throughout the game they were undone by a goalkeeper that doesnt command the box. Dissent also a factor, Neto yellow for dissent was warranted. Chelsea need to stamp out the petulance, its costing us.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Many hardcore Chelsea supporters may be most frustrated at missing the chance to dent Arsenal's title challenge, but a wider issue will be of greater concern internally at Stamford Bridge.

This London rivalry has been fiercely contested throughout the Premier League era, initially dominated by Arsenal before Roman Abramovich's arrival shifted momentum towards west London.

In 2026, however, Arsenal can claim to be firmly in control, having gone nine matches unbeaten against the Blues.

Not since Thomas Tuchel's time in charge have Chelsea taken three points off the Gunners, with only Reece James still at the club from the squad that last won the derby.

Of course, it represents only two fixtures in a 38‑game league campaign, but Chelsea have failed to beat either Arsenal or Manchester City in 23 matches since BlueCo - the consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital - bought the club.

Chelsea's record against the rest of the traditional 'big six' has also been poor during that period, and they now face a difficult run‑in.

A Champions League tie over two legs against Paris St‑Germain adds to a demanding sequence of league fixtures featuring Aston Villa, Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle.

There will be concern that Champions League qualification is slipping away, with Chelsea sixth in the Premier League and now six points behind top‑four rivals Manchester United and Villa.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Premier League striker Clinton Morrison reacting to Chelsea's ninth red card of the season and an ongoing discipline issue on the latest episode of Football Daily: "There's nothing a manager can do in training. It's so difficult to solve. It's players, they have experienced players. It's ill-discipline. He's an international. He should know better to not leave his team down to 10 against one of the best teams."

Journalist Luke Edwards replied: "It's not an isolated incident. There's a problem in that dressing room. Neto has a stupid booking for dissent, you know you have it, then don't scissor-kick someone on the touchline. Then the audacity to complain about it. Just shut up and get off the pitch."

Listen to Football Daily below or on BBC Sounds here

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior is back in front of the media with another match coming quickly after their defeat at Arsenal.

Monday's news conference, due to take place at 13:30 GMT, comes two days before a crucial trip to Aston Villa, with both clubs competing for a place in next season's Champions League.

Rosenior prefers to hold his media duties two days before matches rather than the more common approach of doing them the day before.

However, facing journalists less than 24 hours after a high‑profile defeat can be awkward, so it will be interesting to see how he reflects on Sunday's performance at Emirates Stadium after reviewing the game in more detail.

Looking forward, the pressure is building, with Chelsea known to be targeting qualification for the Champions League but now down in sixth in the Premier League table.

Come back to this page later on Monday for all the key lines from Rosenior.

Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea have received nine dismissals this season, although former manager Enzo Maresca, who was sent off for over‑celebrating a last‑minute winner against Liverpool, does not count in that total.

They are one short of equalling the joint record of eight different players sent off in a season, held by Sunderland. They are two away from matching the Premier League record for the most red cards in a campaign.

This is far from a new issue.

Chelsea, bottom of the Premier League 'Fair Play' table, finished second‑bottom last season under Maresca and bottom the year before under Mauricio Pochettino.

Maresca initially played down concerns before later launching his own review of the team's indiscipline prior to his departure. Liam Rosenior, meanwhile, believed he had tightened up Chelsea's disciplinary problems – only to see red cards return in consecutive matches.

"I have respect for the previous manager Enzo [Maresca]. I don't speak about what happened before but it is starting to happen with me," Rosenior said.

"That's something I felt we had addressed. We went 10 games without a red card, now [we have had] two in two games and that's a problem we need to solve."

Why are Chelsea getting so many players sent off?

One possible factor, which is played down internally in west London, is that they have the youngest squad in the Premier League and lack natural leaders.

Former England defender Matthew Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It is costing them. I don't think it is something you can address at this point - you're in March.

"It is something that is said in pre‑season. It is cultural and you build it into the club. The players buy into it and they police it. It is about being measured and controlled at the right moment.

"Again, they are young as well. The younger you are, the more susceptible you are to those situations."

One of the leaders tasked with helping halt Chelsea's disciplinary slide, Reece James, told Sky Sports: "Every time it's someone different, not the same player. Internally we need to review and keep improving. It's a problem.

"We are playing in the toughest league in the world - 11 v 11 is tough, 11 v 10 is even harder, no matter who you are playing."

Read more Chelsea analysis here

Ross Mooring
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

The stats do not lie when it comes to discipline - Chelsea are bottom of the 'Fair Play' table in the Premier League, continuing an unwanted trend over the past three years.

This season especially it has cost the team enough points to put Champions League qualification in jeopardy with six sides vying for potentially five places.

Much of the blame is being placed on the team's average age, but the majority of the squad has multiple years of Premier League experience under their belt, suggesting the issue tends towards a certain rashness or petulance among players.

Conceding red cards from slightly misjudged tackles, tactical fouls, or just harsh refereeing decisions is one thing.]

However, the atmosphere on the pitch is also clouded by dissent towards officials - see the many charges brought against the club by the FA for failing to control players - as well as players needlessly getting involved in altercations with opponents while simple mental errors, especially in defence, are also commonplace.

Of course, this could be improved by having better leadership. The issue on-field is that most of the clear first-choice players are relatively quieter figures who lead by sheer talent, while off it, former manager Enzo Maresca publicly de-emphasised its importance just days before getting sent off himself at the climax of October's win over Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

It is too soon to tell if the tone will change under Liam Rosenior, who astutely demanded accountability from his players following last weekend's draw with Burnley.

But, with the club's recruitment strategy focused on youth, the likelihood of signing an established captain-type figure who just slots into the first-choice XI seems slim.

Simply put, the players must do it themselves.

This was originally published before Chelsea's game against Arsenal

Find more from Ross Mooring at Chelsea Fancast, external

Chelsea have emerged as potential rivals to Newcastle United for 26-year-old Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez, who has been frozen out at Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal. (Chronicle Live), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Pundits Joe Hart and Leon Osman join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Brighton 2-1 Nottingham Forest

• Fulham 2-1 Tottenham

• Manchester United 2-1 Crystal Palace

• Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "Frustrated with the end result. A lot of good things in our game but we were undone by two set pieces like we were against Burnley last week.

On good performances: "There were some outstanding performance. Technically and tactically but we were undone by moments. Same as against Burnley and against Leeds."

On the red cards his team have received: "I have respect for the previous manager Enzo [Maresca]. I don't speak about what happened before but it is starting to happen with me. That's something I felt we had addressed, we went 10 games without a red card, now two in two games and that's a problem we need to solve and the set play issue is something we need to keep working on."

On Pedro Neto getting booked for dissent and then making a tackle shortly after: "Probably not to be honest,it's very simple. It's something that we need to address, not just Pedro but as a team to make sure we have 11 men on the pitch."

On pushing the league leaders: "I don't want to push the league leaders very hard. We're Chelsea, we want to win games of football. Between both boxes, we were very, very good. I felt we were the better team by far in the second half but we weren't ruthless in the moment. Their goalkeeper makes very good saves and at the other end we concede two goals from corners."

Did you know?

• Only Sunderland in 2009-10 (8) and Leicester City in 1994-95 (8) have had more different players receive a red card in a Premier League season than Chelsea in 2025-26, with Pedro Neto today being their seventh.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Arsenal's performance

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Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies