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Joao Pedro was the star of the show for Chelsea against Aston Villa, however he was left very impressed with what he saw from one of his teammates in the huge win.
The Blues put their recent Premier League slump behind them with a 4-1 victory over top five rivals Aston Villa, with Manchester United and Liverpool also tasting defeat around them.
Liam Rosenior’s personal touch has worked a treat with Pedro, who now sits on 17 goals in all competitions in his first season at Stamford Bridge.
BARGAIN: How much is Joao Pedro worth now? 🔥
Chelsea paid £60m last summer.
Joao Pedro praises Cole Palmer after Chelsea’s win over Aston Villa
The boss will also have been delighted to see Cole Palmer back on the scoresheet. There have been serious debates over how much he is contributing to the side since his return from injury.
The England international put an end to this narrative with a top performance, particularly in the second half, and his Chelsea teammates were very impressed with what they saw.
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Pedro commented: “What a player” on Palmer’s Instagram post after the game, while club captain Reece James also showed his approval of his teammates performance.
It was noticeable that in the first half, Chelsea’s star man was unable to get anything going despite a number of big opportunities heading his way.
This was where Enzo Fernandez intervened. The Argentine was seen picking up Palmer just moments before he beat Emi Martinez to make it 3-1.
Enzo Maresca hang your head in shame 😬
Was he the problem?
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Palmer’s position on the pitch being questioned
Palmer lined up on the right of attack against Villa, although frequently found himself in central areas. This occurred for his goal after Reece James provided an overlapping run.
John Obi Mikel doesn’t think this is Palmer’s best role, but the evidence in big games for Chelsea suggests the former midfielder is wrong.
The Englishman playing on the right allows Fernandez to move ahead of Moises Caicedo and James in the middle of the park, producing a dominant trio physically in midfield.
With the huge Champions League tie to come against PSG, Palmer has to continue to start in this position for those games, using the likes of Estevao Willian as super sub options.
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