Chelsea Week in Review, Monday 2nd November: Palmer Red Card Fallout, Carabao Cup Heartbreak at Anfield and a Big Response Against Man Utd

It's been a rollercoaster week for the Blues, bookended by a derby defeat and a morale-boosting win. It started badly with the 0-2 loss to Tottenham, a game remembered for Cole Palmer's red card, with pundits offering their verdicts on the decision (Football.London) (We Ain't Got No History). Xabi Alonso later revealed that Palmer had personally apologised to him and his team-mates for the sending off (Evening Standard), and the manager has since backed his star man to respond positively against Manchester United (Sports Mole).

Midweek brought more disappointment as Chelsea's Carabao Cup run ended at Anfield, going down 1-1 before losing 6-5 on penalties to Liverpool in the fourth round (The Sun) (Football365) (The Guardian) (Football.London) (BBC Sport). Wesley Fofana was singled out for criticism after a difficult night, with the Evening Standard arguing he needs to "grow up" given how important he now is to the side (Football365) (Evening Standard), while Football.London's ratings also pointed to a tough evening for several players (Football.London). Jordan Henderson's return to his old club added extra spice to the occasion, with his gesture before the game drawing attention from fans of both sides (Mirror) (Football.London) (Football.London). Alonso was philosophical afterwards, admitting the Carabao Cup was the "least important tournament" on Chelsea's list this season (Mirror).

Thankfully, the week ended on a much brighter note as Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, with Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer among the scorers and Lisandro Martinez sent off for the visitors (The Sun) (The Sun) (BBC Sport). Estevao impressed after finally being given a chance from the start, with Alonso praising his response to a lack of game time and Palmer himself saying the Brazilian has been "unlucky" not to feature more (BBC Sport) (Sports Mole) (Football.London). The win eased some pressure after a difficult run and goalkeeper Mike Penders was also praised by his manager for a "very important" clean sheet (ChelseaFC.com).

Injury worries continue to build. Maxence Lacroix could be out until the new year after suffering a serious hamstring injury against Liverpool, a blow Alonso confirmed in his press conference (Sports Mole) (talkSPORT) (BBC Sport). Joao Pedro, Emi Martinez, Chavarria and Emegha were also discussed as Alonso gave the latest return timelines before the Liverpool tie (Football.London) (Football.London), while as many as 13 players were said to be doubts for the Man United game (Football.London). Martinez himself has been giving a brave face to his recovery, revealing he is playing through the pain of a broken finger and may need surgery, and discussing the permanent toll his hand has taken while also battling a broken jaw (Evening Standard) (The Sun) (Evening Standard) (talkSPORT). There's a touch of good news though, with Martinez reportedly pushing to return from his jaw injury ahead of schedule (Evening Standard).

On the women's side, Chelsea continue to impress in Europe, beating Roma 2-0 in the Women's Champions League thanks to goals from Ellie Carpenter and Kadeisha Buchanan to stay unbeaten in the competition (Sky Sports) (BBC Sport). Sonia Bompastor spoke about the "magic" of her side's performances and gave an update on James and Walsh ahead of the game (ChelseaFC.com) (ChelseaFC.com), while Bronze and Cuthbert also featured in pre-match media duties (ChelseaFC.com). Elsewhere, Bompastor explained why she can't afford to rotate her squad given the strength of the WSL (ESPN), and Sky Sports and the BBC both explored whether this Chelsea Women side are finally playing to their full potential (Sky Sports) (BBC Sport).

The transfer chatter continues to swirl around Estevao, with reports linking him to a January exit amid interest from PSG and other clubs, though Alonso has ruled out any loan move and insisted no discussions have taken place (TeamTalk) (The Sun) (Football365) (Evening Standard) (The Guardian). The Sun, meanwhile, argued the stats show Chelsea are actually better with him in the side (The Sun). On other transfer fronts, Chelsea have been linked with Como defender Jacobo Ramon following the Lacroix injury (Sports Mole) (Evening Standard), while Como are reportedly standing firm on resisting interest in midfielder Nico Paz (TeamTalk). There was also talk of Chelsea stepping aside to let Liverpool pursue a deal for Lamine Camara (TeamTalk).

Finally, former Blues striker Nicolas Jackson has been enjoying life at Aston Villa, earning praise from Ian Wright and renewed scrutiny of Chelsea's decision to let him leave (Football365), while ex-Chelsea forward Alexandre Pato's unlikely investment journey to Northampton Town also made headlines (ESPN).

This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.