Cole Palmer sends five-word message to Chelsea fans as scoring drought continues

Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer responded to his continued scoring drought with a defiant message, promising fans: "Don't worry I will be back."

Palmer rattled off seven unsuccessful efforts during Chelsea's 4-0 thumping of Southampton on Tuesday evening, extending his wait for a goal to seven consecutive appearances across all competitions. This is the longest drought of Palmer's previously prolific Chelsea career, surpassing a six-game spell which he endured almost exactly 12 months ago.

Enzo Maresca has shown nothing but unwavering faith in his talismanic midfielder, who reacted with a bemused smile after he saw a late free-kick pawed away by Aaron Ramsdale in midweek.

In the immediate aftermath of another blank, Palmer took to social media. After congratulating his teammates on the end of Chelsea's three-game losing streak, he offered a rallying cry for himself.

"He has to continue to work, continue to be happy, continue to laugh the way he does," Maresca told Match of the Day. "It is normal to go through a moment where you struggle to score but it doesn't matter. Just continue and you are going to score many goals."

Palmer has failed to find the net with his last 27 attempts. The 22-year-old's previous 27 shots had produced six goals. A bit of bad luck has undoubtedly contributed to this dry spell.

"It is how you react," Maresca added. "He is reacting perfectly. He is smiling and he is happy. We have no doubt he will score more goals. He's a human being. All human beings, all big players, all the normal players, big club, big manager - we all go through a bad moment.

"Even if he is young, he shared time in a big club and he knows that all the big players go through moments like this."

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