Cole Palmer was given his marching orders after a rash challenge in the Tottenham loss.

Tottenham completely bossed it at Stamford Bridge, setting the tempo from the off and leaving Chelsea chasing shadows. The visitors got their breakthrough after the break via a messy own goal before doubling their lead to put the result beyond doubt.

Chelsea never really got going, and any slim hope of a comeback vanished when Cole Palmer got his marching orders for a silly second yellow card with ten minutes left.

To cap off a frustrating afternoon for the home fans, Danny Welbeck was left kicking his heels on the bench, bafflingly only thrown on in the 89th minute.

Gary Neville says Cole Palmer deserved his red card

Gary Neville didn’t sugarcoat Cole Palmer’s late sending-off, backing referee Chris Kavanagh to the hilt.

He reckoned Palmer completely lost his head in the final stages, pointing out he was already lucky not to have walked earlier before diving into a challenge that gave the ref an easy decision.

Talking on Sky Sports, he said: “I think he’s right, he’s absolutely spot on Chris Kavanagh. Cole Palmer’s lost his head in his last ten, fifteen minutes. He was lucky with that first one not to go. And that one is a no-brainer.”

Cole Palmer’s red card against Tottenham is the first in his career and will now see him miss the Blues’ clash with Manchester United next weekend.

A deeper discipline issue for Chelsea

Chelsea’s discipline was a nightmare under Liam Rosenior, and those old habits are still haunting them this season.

Every time the pressure ramps up, someone seems to lose their head, turning tight games into uphill battles. It’s a chronic lack of self-control that keeps killing their momentum.

The numbers say it all: Chelsea have picked up nine red cards in the Premier League since last season started—at least four more than anyone else.