Chelsea's Cole Palmer hits out at 'trolls and idiots' on social media after ending 12-game goal drought vs Liverpool

Cole Palmer issued a response to social media "idiots and trolls" for the criticism he has received over recent months after ending his goal drought against Liverpool.

The Chelsea midfielder, who enjoyed such a stunning first season at Stamford Bridge in 2023/24, had managed only two goal contributions in his previous 12 games coming into Sunday's win over the newly crowned league champions.

But a player-of-the-match performance and last-minute penalty, his first goal since January 14, put those woes behind him - with Noni Madueke celebrating his strike by also appearing to mock the criticism he has received.

Palmer could already have had a goal by then, but was denied by the far post after beating Alisson from a tight angle in a showing in which the England midfielder looked back to his best.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Palmer hit back at some of the comments aimed in his direction during his personal on-pitch struggles. The 22-year-old said they did not affect him - but that his own critique of his performances had left him feeling like he was "letting the team down".

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"**** happens," he told Sky Sports about his near four-month spell without a goal. "It gives me more fight to do well not just for myself, but for my team.

"Social media nowadays is full of idiots, the trolls and whatever. I don't pay any attention to that. To score today, I'm happy, but I've got to keep improving and try to reach new levels.

"If you're getting chances and not scoring... you're letting your team down at the end of the day. I feel like I'm mentally strong anyway so whatever people say, it doesn't bother me. I've had it all the time growing up.

"I feel pride in helping the team and if I'm not doing that, I'm not happy. Today, I felt like myself. I felt confident, I was trying things, first time passes, playing forward, playing free and when you have him [Moises Caicedo] next to you, it's a dream."

Neville: If the whole Chelsea team performed like Palmer, they'd be top of the league

Sky Sports' Gary Neville on The Gary Neville Podcast:

"It's almost like the last three months [when Palmer did not score] didn't exist. They were really special things that we saw out on that pitch.

"What he did to Curtis Jones on that first goal was really special... You know the way in which they [wingers] drift into a position then all of a sudden it's that change of pace and that acceleration and change of direction which means that Jones slips. I've been there as a defender.

"That got Chelsea going. We know Palmer is Chelsea's most valuable player and he's their best player in attacking areas. The other three or four that are around him, they're nowhere near his level.

"His positions he took up, his composure on the ball, his choice of when to pass, when to shoot and most impressive to me today was his acceleration away from people. Just that little change of pace that is a killer.

"I always think if you go from a slow or standing start to real speed and that acceleration, that will always do a defender. An absolutely outstanding performance.

"He's had a dip, but that's just natural in any forward's career. He's got 15 Premier League goals this season - that's an outstanding return for a player that plays in his position. If the others were contributing at the levels that he is, then Chelsea would be top of the league.

"What I liked about today is he hung out on that right-hand side. He found a space in the game and the best players also find out where the game is.

"They'll understand where they can go and do maximum damage and they'll test certain positions during a match. Particularly players that have got a bit of freedom to play, they might even go a little bit higher at times.

"He's nowhere near the level of Ronaldo, but I'm going to put him in the same sentence here from the point of view that Cristiano used to go and play at the point whereby the other team were the weakest and most vulnerable.

"Palmer has earned the credit and the ability that he's got to put himself in that category where wherever the game is for Chelsea, he can go and put himself there.

"He's a real outstanding talent and someone who Chelsea are going to build around. They've given him a 10-year contract so they know what they've got and if you put a top-class centre-forward with him, maybe a better quality of wide player, a goalkeeper and a centre-back, Chelsea won't be far away.

"The spine of the team around him will enable him to be successful with Chelsea in those 10 years. The key to getting those players is getting that Champions League qualification money and that's a very big result today.

"Thinking about England, there's a World Cup coming up next year. I couldn't love Phil Foden more and I always think he should be in any England team. I would always say that Foden should play more central, but Palmer, at the moment, he's more graceful in there and he's probably more of a goal threat.

"He's looks natural so how do you try and get Foden and Cole Palmer into an England team? That's something for Thomas Tuchel to worry about but I don't think you can leave Cole Palmer out of an England team anymore."

Redknapp: Form is temporary, class is permanent

Jamie Redknapp said Palmer is "too good" to have remained out of form for the long term, given the level of impact he had made in his first 18 months at Stamford Bridge.

"We always realise that form is temporary and class is permanent," he said on Super Sunday. "He is too good to be impacted for a long period.

"You could see it today, it was oozing out of him. He played with real freedom and was enjoying his game.

"When things aren't going right for you, that is what you need to do.

"Everything he did was effortless. It was a real joy. Football needs players like him. They do things differently. When he gets it, it is like time stands still."

Former Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge paid particular tribute to Palmer's determination to block out noise and judge himself by his own standards.

"I appreciate how much he cares," he said. "When he does interviews he's open about how he feels. You can see how much pride he takes in football. It's not about what everyone else thinks - it's about what he thinks. When you set your standards so high and you don't get there, it hurts. I've been there.

"When you play at a big club there is going to be criticism but what I liked is that he doesn't care about it.

"Some things on social may slip through the cracks as people will send you a one-liner here or there but it's best to concentrate on being the best you can be.

"He's very proud of that. His team-mates too, as they understand how hard he works. He's an unbelievable player and all the top players in the world have gone through difficult periods."

(c) Sky Sports 2025: Chelsea's Cole Palmer hits out at 'trolls and idiots' on social media after ending 12-game goal drought vs Liverpool