'He's a machine': Cole Palmer reveals Chelsea's best player after vital Liverpool win | OneFootball

England star earns man-of-the-match honours after finally ending long goal drought, but he lavishes praise on ‘dream’ team-mate

Cole Palmer has hailed Moises Caicedo as Chelsea’s best performer this season after their vital win over Liverpool.

Chelsea also now have the exact same goal difference as Newcastle in the battle for Champions League qualification and remain behind them on goals scored only after the Magpies’ eventful 1-1 draw at mid-table Brighton earlier on Sunday in which Alexander Isak netted a late equaliser from the penalty spot.

Sixth-place Nottingham Forest can join that duo on 63 points if they win away at FA Cup finalists Crystal Palace on Monday night, with Chelsea travelling to the City Ground on the final day of the season after a visit from Manchester United.

Aston Villa are on 60 points in seventh and still very much in the fierce top-five race themselves after edging past Fulham on Saturday, while Manchester City are only a point ahead of Chelsea in third after beating Wolves and Arsenal three points further on in second after losing at home to Bournemouth.

As well as providing another boost to Chelsea’s Champions League hopes, the win over Liverpool was also notable for Palmer finally ending a well-documented goal drought that had lasted for 18 matches across all competitions - dating back to the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth in mid-January - as he stepped up to confidently dispatch a last-gasp penalty that settled nerves among the home contingent.

Virgil van Dijk’s late header from a corner had looked to set up a grandstand finish after Enzo Fernandez’s third-minute strike - the fastest league goal scored at Stamford Bridge since 2017 - was followed by an unfortunate own goal from Jarell Quansah that saw Van Dijk’s attempted clearance clatter into him and in.

While pundits and fans alike waxed lyrical over man-of-the-match Palmer’s performance against Liverpool, he gave all the plaudits to Caicedo, the all-action midfielder who delivered another impactful display from right-back including winning the stoppage-time penalty after being moved into the middle and fouled by Quansah.

“When you’ve got him next to you it’s a dream really,” Palmer told Sky Sports of Caicedo’s impact for Chelsea.

“Wow, machine. From the start of the season until now I think he’s been our best player. He’s a machine, wins everything back always.

“Always 100 per cent every day, humble and nice to everyone. Everyone loves him.”

The compliment was quickly returned by Caicedo, who was effusive in his praise of Palmer for continuing to play an important role for Chelsea even when the goals had dried up in the first real prolonged blip of his otherwise outstanding Blues career.

“He’s an amazing guy, always working hard,” Caicedo said. “So happy for him, he helped us a lot even when he didn’t score.

“He helps us. He’s a great guy and deserves everything.”

Told it seemed like he did not agree with himself being named as the man of the match against Liverpool, Palmer then joked: “I mean, I’ll take it!”