Enzo Maresca has said Chelsea are over-reliant on Cole Palmer and rejected criticism of the midfielder's body language in recent games. Chelsea slipped to seventh in the Premier League with a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday,

Enzo Maresca has called for the rest of his Chelsea team to step up and ease the pressure on the ‘struggling’ Cole Palmer who is ‘upset the club are not winning games’. Palmer has not found the back of the net since the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth in January and has gone 13 games without providing an assist.

Chelsea’s over-reliance on Cole Palmer is affecting his form, manager Enzo Maresca said Monday, with the England star going through his driest run since moving to the London club. Palmer hasn’t scored in his last six games and his last assist came 13 matches ago.