Morgan Rogers was left stunned that Cole Palmer was given the Player of the Match award ahead of him after Chelsea's comeback win over Leeds in the Carabao Cup. The Blues recovered from going 2-0 down to record a resounding 6-3 victory at Stamford Bridge, with all six of their goals coming in the second half.
Rogers' frustration caught on camera
Rogers and Palmer both played their roles in the win, but the summer signing felt he should have edged the individual accolade. The cameras were rolling before the two went live on air, where Rogers made it known that Palmer pipping him to the award was "mental".
Walking in to do the interview, Rogers remarked: "Mate, I got four assists!" As his frustration continued, the England star added: "Nah, nah, I can't believe that, that is mental."
Palmer's response and the comeback
Palmer scored twice in two minutes - the first a penalty - to get the game level, but Rogers felt his assist count for the night should have seen him land the award, before also joking that one of Palmer's goals was only from 12 yards. Palmer claimed that he had been the man to ignite the comeback and said he was prepared, during the interview, to say that Rogers should have got the award ahead of him.
"I'll shout you out, I'll say you should've had it," to which Morgan replied: "Nah, don't mention me, I'm just a bystander."
Impact of the win
Chelsea's win ensured Xabi Alonso didn't suffer successive defeats after Sunday's loss at Arsenal. It also keeps alive their hopes of lifting the season's first piece of silverware come the spring, and the Spanish manager admitted post-match that his squad selection had almost cost them.
"I need to take my own blame and my own responsibility on the things that happen," he said. "I need to be able to help them better so they are not responsible, and after you need to react and think what's better for the team."
Pedro Neto, a brace from Danny Welbeck and Valentin Barco eventually scored the goals that would turn the tie in Chelsea's favour.
