Enzo Maresca pulled out of his post-match interviews following Chelsea’s disappointing draw with Bournemouth due to feeling unwell, but his assistant Willy Caballero defended their decision to substitute Cole Palmer after an angry reaction from the fans at Stamford Bridge. Maresca was loudly booed for removing Palmer midway through the second half and replacing him with Joao Pedro. Explaining the call to hook Palmer, Caballero said: ‘Of course, any supporter wants to have their best players on the pitch and we want to have the best players on the pitch as well. He invests a lot of hours every single day, even though the last two days he was feeling bad. But it's done now so we're going to miss a very important player.

Source: Metro December 31, 2025 02:39 UTC