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West Ham striker Michail Antonio has criticised Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino for his remarks before their Premier League clash against Arsenal on Tuesday, April 23.
The Blues were annihilated at the hands of Mikel Arteta's men at the Emirates, who slotted five goals against their London rivals.
Chelsea had already been dealt a blow ahead of the game as their talisman, Cole Palmer, missed the game due to illness. Speaking before the game, Pochettino said the Englishman's absence presented a significant challenge to other players and also served as an opportunity to show that they weren't "Cole Palmer FC".
While speaking on The Footballer’s Football Podcast, Antonio shared his two cents on the Argentine manager's statement. He said (via TBR Football):
"What is crazy is the gaffer comes out and saying Cole Palmer FC, and then he gets ill, and this 5-0, it can’t be written any better than that."
Responding to his statement, Tom Cairney said:
"I’m surprised he said that in his pre-match thing anyway to be fair. Are we Cole Palmer FC? I don’t think you can say that anyway. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Pep say when he had Messi, we’re just a Messi team."
Chelsea were completely outplayed by the Gunners, who currently stand atop the Premier League table with 77 points after 34 games.
Palmer has been the sole reason for optimism in an otherwise off-colour season for Chelsea. The Englishman has scored 25 goals and provided 13 assists for the Blues in 42 appearances across all competitions. He also stands alongside Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot, having scored 20 Premier League goals.
The 21-year-old is also yet to miss a penalty, having converted all nine so far.
Chelsea suffer worst defeat in over 200 games against Arsenal
It was an evening to forget for Chelsea as they were thrashed by their neighbours. This was the Blues' worst defeat to Arsenal in all the 209 games they've played against Arsenal.
The former Champions League winners also broke their previous record of conceding the most goals in a Premier League season. They've conceded 57 goals so far and still have four more games to play.
Chelsea face Aston Villa on Saturday, April 27, and will be hoping that Cole Palmer is fit for the fixture and can lead them to a win.
