Chelsea squandered an amazing chance to take all three points, but the aftermath of the incidents with Palmer is what everyone is talking about.
Cole Palmer has said sorry to Mauricio Pochettino after hitting the Chelsea boss with a water bottle. The £42.5 million summer signing from Manchester City scored his second goal for his new club on Saturday, converting from the penalty spot against Arsenal.
And when Mykhailo Mudryk's speculative effort made it 2-0 after halftime, it appeared Palmer and co. were cruising towards three points. But then things unraveled.
Robert Sanchez's poor blocking gave Declan Rice the chance to pull one back, and six minutes later, shortly after Palmer was replaced by Reece James, Leandro Trossard leveled things. As if that moment wasn't desperate enough for a frustrated Pochettino, he then had to deal with being hit with a water bottle.
“When they scored the second goal, I was drinking,” Palmer told Chelsea's club website. “I was about to throw the bottle like you, but I didn't look. I just saw it circle very slowly and hit the gaffer. I said sorry to him and apologized properly after the match.
Cole Palmer has said sorry to Mauricio Pochettino after hitting the Chelsea boss with a water bottle
I hope he doesn't disappoint me with that." Indeed, the 21-year-old insists his relationship with his new manager is positive. “We get along very well,” he added. “I try to show him every day in training what I can do.
Work hard and try to reward him because he trusts us a lot.” Palmer's departure from the Premier League champions in the transfer window was seen as a shock, as Pep Guardiola appeared to have given him a bigger role.
Indeed, he scored in the European Super Cup and European Super Cup matches earlier in the season. However, despite Saturday's mistake and the Blues' erratic form, Palmer seemed to have few regrets. And he has vowed to improve as Pochettino's side rebuilds after a difficult start.