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Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca, has revealed that Cole Palmer was not at 100 per cent ahead of the 5-1 win at West Ham on Friday night.
The Blues were without their talisman as they recorded their first win of the new Premier League season at the London Stadium.
Palmer’s place in the starting XI was taken by 18-year-old Estevao Willian.
After the game, Maresca revealed that the midfielder felt something in his groin.
“Cole, in the last four or five days, he was not 100 per cent,” Maresca said.
“Today, he tried in the warm-up but he felt something so we preferred to not take any risks.
“We will see in the next hours if it’s something important or not.”
Chelsea went behind early in the game, thanks to Lucas Paqueta’s screamer.
But Maresca’s men fought back through goals from Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, and Trevoh Chalobah to claim the three points.
