They lacked concentration - Cole Palmer blames all three Bayern goals on Chelsea teammates after UCL humbling

Chelsea’s return to the Champions League was undone by costly mistakes, as Cole Palmer admitted their own errors gifted Bayern Munich a 3-1 victory at the Allianz Arena.

The match began badly for Chelsea when Trevoh Chalobah turned the ball into his own net following pressure from Michael Olise. 

A penalty awarded to Bayern, converted by Harry Kane, made it 2-0 before Cole Palmer pulled one back with a fine individual effort. 

In the second half, a defensive mistake by Malo Gusto allowed Kane to grab his second of the night. 

Following the match, Chelsea’s new no.10 insisted Wednesday night’s defeat was avoidable, and it’s safe to say he did not mince words:

“We started well and I think we had early chances to score, but when you make mistakes at the highest level, then it’s hard to come back into the game,” Palmer told Chelsea FC’s official site.

“There was a bit of a lack of concentration, and not managing the moments correctly. “The three goals we conceded were our own fault.”

Palmer emphasised that despite the errors, Chelsea showed glimpses of promise. 

“I feel like we showed we can play against one of the best teams in the competition. I think we deserved more,” the 23-year-old said.

“It’s a good learning curve for tonight and to be back in the competition is nice, so we just need to kick off from here.

“We’re not in this competition for it to be a learning curve for us. I feel like we showed tonight that we can compete and we want to do as best as we can.” 

Meanwhile, Blues manager Enzo Maresca also commented after the match, pointing out that Chelsea’s defensive lapses would need to be addressed.

“You cannot commit mistakes in the way we have done, but I told the players it’s a game where we can learn a lot and build something special from this defeat,” Maresca said.

The errors that led to all three Bayern goals underscore vulnerability at the back.

 Although Palmer’s goal and Chelsea’s early attacking intent showed progress under Maresca, the match illustrated how small lapses of concentration can be decisive at the highest level.

Moving forward, Chelsea must correct those individual mistakes and maintain focus throughout. 

The Blues travel to Old Trafford for a crunch matchday 5 clash against Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday, September 20.