According to a report by Metro on Sunday October 25, 2026, Gary Neville has criticised Chelsea forward Cole Palmer following his dismissal in the Blues’ 2-0 Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Palmer was shown his first yellow card in the 71st minute after barging into Mateus Fernandes, who had fallen on the ball and handled it while attempting to stop a Chelsea attack.

Speaking during Sky Sports’ coverage of the match, Neville questioned Palmer’s reaction and suggested the Chelsea star had unnecessarily put himself at risk of being sent off.

“Palmer’s reaction was silly. He’s asking for trouble, that’s not great. No idea why he’s doing that,” Neville said.

Chelsea fell behind six minutes later when goalkeeper Mike Penders turned a Tottenham corner into his own net while attempting to clear the ball under pressure from Jan Paul van Hecke.

Palmer’s difficult evening continued in the 80th minute when he caught Conor Gallagher on the ankle with his studs during a challenge outside the penalty area. Referee Chris Kavanagh showed him a second yellow card, leaving Chelsea with 10 men.

Neville backed the referee’s decision, insisting that Palmer had made an unnecessary challenge and failed to maintain his composure.

“He’s spot on the referee, Cole Palmer has lost his head in the last 10 minutes. That one is a no-brainer,” Neville said. “That’s just a silly challenge, he knows exactly what he’s doing. Not a good challenge, naughty, really naughty.”

Mathys Tel scored Tottenham’s second goal in the 87th minute, completing a frustrating afternoon for Chelsea and securing a memorable away victory for Roberto De Zerbi’s side.

The defeat was another setback for Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, whose team struggled to create clear-cut chances without the injured Joao Pedro. Palmer’s dismissal also means he will miss Wednesday’s Carabao Cup fourth-round meeting with Liverpool.

The red card was the first of Palmer’s career and came during a difficult spell in the Premier League, with the forward having gone six league matches without scoring, according to the report.

Chelsea will now hope Palmer can put the incident behind him and return with renewed focus, while Alonso must address his side’s disappointing performance and disciplinary issues.