Cole Palmer will be available for Chelsea’s Premier League clash with Manchester United on Saturday, despite being sent off in the Blues’ last league match. Instead, he will miss the EFL Cup fourth-round tie away at Liverpool on Wednesday night.
Palmer received two yellow cards in the second half of Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge. He was first booked for an off-the-ball incident involving Spurs’ Mateus Fernandes. He then picked up a second yellow for a foul on Conor Gallagher, which triggered the dismissal and a one-match ban.
Why the ban applies to the cup tie
In most cases, a suspension like this would be served in the team’s next match in the same competition. Palmer’s case differs because red card suspensions apply across all domestic competitions, rather than being limited to the competition in which the card was received.
Suspensions for accumulated yellow cards across a campaign, however, are served in the competition where they were received. That means Chelsea will be without the England playmaker for their trip to Anfield, but he will be free to play against United three days later at Stamford Bridge.