Chelsea forward Cole Palmer should have been shown a direct red card during his team's London derby loss to Tottenham Hotspur, according to a review by the Premier League Key Match Incidents Panel reported by talkSPORT.
The England international was sent off during the clash at Stamford Bridge on October 24, but only after receiving two separate yellow cards in a match that ended in a 2-0 defeat for the Blues. The panel has now ruled that Palmer ought to have been dismissed much earlier in the encounter.
His first booking occurred following an altercation with Tottenham's Mateus Fernandes, who stopped Palmer from breaking away by handling the ball on the slide. Palmer responded angrily, running toward Fernandes as the player got up and barging directly into his face.
Referee Chris Kavanagh issued only a yellow card on the pitch, but three members of the five-person review panel judged that the challenge constituted violent conduct. The majority concluded that there was unmistakable contact with the head, labelling the move as an unnecessary, dangerous act carried out with excessive force.
Two panellists backed the original yellow card, describing the clash as aggressive rather than excessive. All five panellists agreed that the Video Assistant Referee was right not to step in, as an on-field card had already been handed out.
Palmer was eventually dismissed later in the match after picking up a second yellow card for an awkward tackle on Tottenham midfielder Conor Gallagher.
The panel also pointed out another missed decision from last month, ruling that Aston Villa should have received a penalty during their victory over Manchester City. In that incident, Elliot Anderson brought down Johan Manzambi inside the penalty area without any punishment from match officials.
