"It was almost captain-like or someone in their early 30’s" - Jamie Carragher lauds Chelsea superstar for what he did against Arsenal
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has lavished praise on Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez after his display of leadership in their draw against Arsenal.
The Blues shared the points with the Gunners in their Premier League encounter at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, October 21. The west London outfit had an impressive start to the fixture and seemed to be in control of the game.
Chelsea were awarded a penalty 15 minutes in after Mykhailo Mudryk's header hit William Saliba's hand in the box. There was commotion around the penalty spot with Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling arguing over who will take it.
However, Fernandez intervened and put an end to the quarrel, allowing Palmer to take the spot-kick. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner's actions did not go unnoticed by Carragher, who was unhappy that Chelsea were unsure of who their main penalty-taker was.
The former Liverpool defender said on Monday Night Football on Sky Sports (as quoted by Football.London):
"I don’t really like that [players arguing for a penalty]. I think people should know before the game who the penalty taker is. But what I did like was the authority shown by Enzo Fernandez."
He added:
"For a young player, he is saying to a seasoned professional in Raheem Sterling that Cole Palmer is taking it, in almost that cool manner. It was almost captain-like or someone in their early 30’s. It was really interesting and it was good to see Cole Palmer score to go along with his performance."
Palmer scored the penalty to score his second goal for Chelsea in his seventh appearance.
"Hopefully he won’t drop me for that!" - Chelsea star reveals he 'apologized' after touchline incident in Arsenal drew
Following Palmer's penalty, Mykhailo Mudryk put Chelsea 2-0 in front with a second-half strike. The west London outfit seemed all but set to secure all three points before Arsenal made a comeback in the final stretch of the match.
Declan Rice found the back of the net in the 77th minute, giving up to the Gunners. Palmer was replaced by Reece James in the 84th minute of the encounter, presumably a tactical change by Mauricio Pochettino to preserve his side's lead.
Shortly after the English forward's substitution, Leandro Trossard scored the equalizer. Palmer could not hold on to his frustration as he launched a water bottle that inadvertently hit the gaffer.
The former Manchester City star has now revealed that he apologized to the Argentine boss, saying (via the club's official website):
“When they scored their second goal I was getting a drink. I went to throw the bottle away, as you do, but didn’t look. I just saw it loop dead slow and hit the gaffer. I said sorry to him and apologised properly after the game. Hopefully he won’t drop me for that!"
Chelsea are 10th in the Premier League, eight points behind fourth-placed Liverpool. They will next host Brentford on Saturday, October 28.