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Why Is Cole Palmer Subbed Off vs Manchester United? Real Reason Behind Chelsea Star's Substitution

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Emmanuel Mendez | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 1:05 PM ET

Chelsea's start to the match against Manchester United went from bad to worse as the minutes continued to tick.

The Blues went down to 10 men in the 5th minute when Robert Sanchez was sent off for fouling Bryan Mbeumo just outside the box. Chelsea's manager Enzo Maresca then subbed off Estevao and Pedro Neto for Filip Jorgensen and Tosin Adarabioyo.

Manchester United then took the lead in the 15th minute was to a goal by Bruno Fernandes. To the shock of many, Maresca made another change by subbing off Cole Palmer and replacing him with Andrey Santos.

Palmer seemed frustrated with being taken off. He didn't sit on the bench as he wore his coat and appeared to walk back into the changing room.

Cole Palmer went down the tunnel after he was subbed off in the 20th minute.

Palmer, Neto and Estêvão were all subbed off after Chelsea went a man down four minutes into the match following Sanchez's red card. pic.twitter.com/DWoeEUkHL1
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 20, 2025

Is Cole Palmer Injured?

Fans in attendance believe that Cole Palmer is injured by the way he walked off the pitch. Palmer was seen frustrated when walking past Maresca.

Cole Palmer is injured here at old Trafford. pic.twitter.com/cZfkjiVuRR
— Max (@MaxLondonsFirst) September 20, 2025

Fans also saw that Palmer pointed to his groin, which was an injury he suffered a couple of weeks ago. Palmer missed two matches with his groin injury and returned last weekend against Brentford, where he scored in the 2-2 draw.

He played his first full 90 minutes after the groin injury this week in the Champions League against Bayern Munich, where he also scored.

Nizaar Kinsella from BBC Sport reports that Palmer had ice on his groin when he returned to the Chelsea bench, confirming that the substitution was due to an injury concern.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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