Chelsea forward Cole Palmer dismissed any suggestions that his team was in the Premier League title race, expressing clear disdain for the question after their comfortable 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday. Palmer, who scored the third goal with a brilliant strike from the edge of the box, was visibly annoyed by the topic during his post-match interview.
While Chelsea’s victory saw them climb to third in the Premier League, level on points and goal difference with second-placed Arsenal, the club has remained cautious about their title prospects. In contrast to Arsenal, who have openly discussed their ambitions of chasing league leaders Liverpool, Chelsea prefers to downplay such expectations.
“It’s too early,” Palmer said, shrugging off the notion of a title challenge. “If we keep winning, we’ll be near the top four. But like the gaffer said, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Arsenal have been together for more than five years, while we’ve only been together for a season. We just want to keep going and winning the games.”
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Manager Enzo Maresca has also been quick to downplay Chelsea’s chances of competing for the Premier League title. “We are not ready to compete with Liverpool, Arsenal, and City for many reasons, and because we win today, I’m not going to change my idea,” Maresca said after the victory.
Despite only losing to league leaders Liverpool and defending champions Manchester City this season, Chelsea has had a difficult start but faces a much more favorable fixture list in the coming weeks. They will not face another top-six team until their trip to Manchester City on January 25. With matches against several teams in the lower half of the table before then, if Chelsea continues to collect points, Palmer and Maresca may soon find it harder to deny their title credentials.