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The Chelsea head coach reprimanded the pair for their embarrassing altercation over who got to take a spot kick against Everton.
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has warned his players after Monday’s unseemly incident between Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson.
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What happened?
Chelsea were awarded a penalty on the hour when Abdoulaye Doucoure fouled Cole Palmer, with the Englishman receiving treatment in the aftermath. The Blues’ top scorer, scorer of eight spot-kicks before Monday’s Premier League match with Everton, made it nine from nine afterwards, but the moments leading up to his 20th league goal astounded observers.
Madueke and Jackson wanted to take the kick, and the ensuing jostle for the ball were unsavoury scenes that nearly marred a rare flawless evening for Pochettino’s men.
Conor Gallagher ultimately stepped in by taking the ball off the arguing pair and handing it to Palmer, who converted his ninth penalty of the 2023-24 season to score his fourth of the night.
![[Watch]: Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke fight Cole Palmer over penalty kick](https://sportal365images.com/process/smp-images-production/ringier.africa/15042024/fd81cab2-a003-47cd-bbd5-23fc8973101e.png?operations=fit(:350))
23:41 - 15.04.2024
[Watch]: Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke fight Cole Palmer over penalty kick
Chelsea's Cole Palmer faced internal discord as teammates disputed over a penalty kick.
What Pochettino said about undignified incident
The Chelsea boss looked incensed about the incident in real-time and was unsurprisingly asked in his post-match interview.
“It is a shame. I was telling the players before. We had a meeting with all the staff and I explained,” Pochettino told Monday Night Football. “For me, it is a shame. We cannot behave in this way. I told them that this was the last time that I would accept this type of behaviour.
“It is impossible after a performance like this (against Everton) to have this type of behaviour. We are in a process and we are learning a lot. We want to be a great team and fight for big things. We need to think in a more collective way instead of individual achievements.
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“I made clear today, to the team and the fans that Cole Palmer is our penalty taker. If Palmer wants to give the ball to someone else fine, but not in this way. It is a really sad situation that happened and I will not accept it happening again.”
The Chelsea boss reiterated his point of view when he spoke to the media afterwards.
What comes next for Chelsea?
Pochettino’s men closed the gap on sixth-placed Newcastle United to three points, having played a fewer game. Chelsea head into Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final clash against Manchester City on the back of their biggest margin of victory in the Premier League this season.
The Blues’ next league outing is at title-contending Arsenal on April 23, three days after facing City at Wembley Stadium.
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