Cole Palmer will not miss Chelsea’s Premier League meeting with Manchester United on Saturday, despite being sent off in his side’s last Premier League match.
Palmer was shown two yellow cards in the second half of the Blues’ 2-0 defeat by rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge. That dismissal earned the England playmaker a one-match ban. He received his first caution for an off-the-ball incident involving Spurs’ Mateus Fernandes, then his second yellow card for a foul on Conor Gallagher.
Normally, a suspension like this would be served in the team’s next Premier League match. However, Palmer will be available to face United at Stamford Bridge. Instead, he will sit out the Blues’ EFL Cup fourth-round tie away at Liverpool on Wednesday night.
The reason lies in how the rules apply. Red card suspensions are carried out across domestic competitions rather than being specific to the competition in which they were received. Suspensions for an accumulation of yellow cards, however, are served in the competition where they were picked up.
So while Chelsea will be without Palmer for their trip to Anfield, he will be back in action three days later when the Blues host United.