Cole Palmer will not miss Chelsea’s Premier League meeting with Manchester United on Saturday, despite being sent off in the Blues’ last league match. The England playmaker was dismissed in the second half of the 2-0 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer picked up two yellow cards in that match. He received his first caution for an off-the-ball incident involving Spurs’ Mateus Fernandes. He was then shown a second yellow for a foul on Conor Gallagher. The two bookings meant Palmer earned a one-match ban.
Normally, a player serves that suspension in his team’s next Premier League fixture. Palmer, however, will be available to face United. Instead, he will sit out Chelsea’s EFL Cup fourth-round tie away at Liverpool on Wednesday night.
Why the ban works this way
Red card suspensions apply across all domestic competitions, not only the competition in which the dismissal occurred. Suspensions for accumulated yellow cards during a campaign, however, are served in the competition where the cards were received. That distinction explains why Palmer misses the cup tie at Anfield but not the league match against United.
Chelsea will therefore be without Palmer at Anfield, but he will be back in contention at Stamford Bridge, three days after the Merseyside trip.