Cole Palmer delivers message to Chelsea over Mauricio Pochettino

Cole Palmer claimed ‘all the players love’ Mauricio Pochettino after Chelsea’s 2-1 win at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Chelsea’s victory saw them move up to sixth place in the Premier League, keeping their dreams of qualifying for European football very much alive. A draw at home to Bournemouth on the final day of the season will guarantee them a top-six finish, while they will rise to fifth if they win and Tottenham Hotspur lose at Sheffield United.

While their season hasn’t been without struggle, the chance to finish in a European place comes as welcome news to Chelsea, who were as low as 11th as recently as March.

Wednesday’s win also marked the first time since October 2022 that Chelsea have won four successive league matches.

Star player Palmer has addressed the team’s latest run of fine form, thanking head coach Pochettino, whose future at Chelsea has regularly been called into question this season.

Speaking after the victory at Brighton, Palmer said: “For it to be in our hands to get sixth place is a big thing for us. Chelsea are a big club and everyone wants to finish higher than sixth but you have to look at where we were at the start of the season.

Palmer scored his 22nd league goal on Wednesday / Justin Setterfield/GettyImages

“To get back into Europe would be a step in the right direction. All credit to the manager. All the players love the manager and want to fight for him.”

Palmer was able to score his 22nd goal of the season against the Seagulls, making him the second-highest scorer in the league behind only Erling Haaland.

If they finish sixth, Chelsea could qualify for next season’s Europa League. However, if Manchester United rank outside of the top six but win the FA Cup, they will take that spot instead and the sixth-placed team will enter the Conference League instead.