Cole Palmer will miss Chelsea's League Cup trip to Liverpool at Anfield on 2026-10-28 after his dismissal against Tottenham. The ban is only one domestic match, so he is eligible again for Liverpool vs Chelsea's Premier League meeting with Manchester United? No, he will return for Chelsea against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on 2026-10-31.
The dismissal and the ban
Palmer received two yellow cards in the Premier League defeat by Tottenham, with the second coming less than 10 minutes after the first. It was his first career red card, and it leaves Chelsea without one of their most established attacking players for the Anfield tie.
He has already made 8 appearances this season and has 5 goal contributions, which is a solid return for a player Chelsea now have to replace twice in a week. The absence also lands at a time when Chelsea have been managing other availability issues, with Joao Pedro a shock absentee against Tottenham after an injury in training at Cobham on the eve of the game.
What Chelsea lose and when Palmer returns
The timing is awkward because Chelsea's attack does not have much spare room. Joao Pedro leads the club's scoring with 5 goals this season, and Palmer has been one of the main sources of end product alongside him.
There has been some debate over whether the dismissal should have been treated as a straight red or as a second yellow, but the practical outcome is the same. The one-match domestic suspension rules out the Liverpool trip and brings Palmer back into contention for the meeting with Manchester United three days later.
Chelsea may still have to manage without Reece James, who is not expected back until mid-January following knee surgery. That makes Palmer's return date more valuable than the ban length itself, because Chelsea can at least count on him again for 2026-10-31.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
