Credit: Imago

Evan Shaw

Sun 15 March 2026 8:32, UK

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Cole Palmer was at the centre of attention as his Chelsea side were beaten 1-0 by Newcastle United on Saturday evening.

The Magpies have struggled away from home so far this term, but produced their first Premier League clean sheet since 18 January to emerge victorious at Stamford Bridge.

Anthony Gordon finished off a free-flowing move to net the only goal of the game in the 18th minute, as Eddie Howe’s side left the capital with all three points to show for their efforts.

Chelsea’s next assignment sees them try to overturn a three-goal deficit against PSG in midweek, but their attention will first turn towards hoping Liverpool slip up against Tottenham in the race for the top four.

Cole Palmer penalty controversy: ‘I can clear that one up…’

Chelsea laboured in their efforts to breach Newcastle’s backline on Saturday, as they racked up 22 shots across the 90 minutes, but could not make their pressure tell.

The Blues are in stuttering form on home turf, with their latest defeat having come off the back of consecutive draws against Burnley and Leeds United in February.

As ever, Palmer was at the centre of their attacking efforts, and he thought he had found a route back into the game for his team when he was brought down inside the box by Nick Woltemade in the 63rd minute.

The German attacker lunged in on the England international near the goalline, but referee Paul Tierney was unmoved by Chelsea’s protests after Palmer went to ground.

Liam Rosenior made it clear after the game that he was seething with Tierney’s interpretation of the incident, but the Match of the Day team were clear in their stance.

“I can clear that one up for you, I don’t think that’s a penalty at all,” Ashley Williams said during his analysis of the challenge.

“When I watch it back, Palmer stands on Woltemade’s foot, and it’s certainly not a penalty at all.”

What has Liam Rosenior said about penalty controversy?

Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett recently told Football Insider that Chelsea are “out of order” with their latest attempts to huddle around the ball before a game, and that escalated once again on Saturday.

Tierney made a point of standing in the middle of the Blues’ players while they performed their pre-game ritual, and Rosenior was quick to defend the validity of his team’s actions during his post-match interview.

However, he also took a swipe at the official at the same time, as he said: “If Paul (Tierney) had focused more on his job, which was to make the right decision, we have a penalty today.”

It was clear that 41-year-old felt that the game could have changed on that moment, but his interpretation of the incident did little to affect the opinion that was shared on Match of the Day.

It was a frustrating evening for the Chelsea boss on the whole, and in his opinion, they received little help from the referee.