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Enzo Maresca has revealed why Cole Palmer's reaction to being substituted during Chelsea's loss to Aston Villa didn't bother him. The Blues endured a 2-1 defeat to Villa in their Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.

Chelsea entered the fixture hoping to bounce back to winning form following their 2-2 stalemate with Newcastle United the previous week.

Yet, despite grabbing the opener in the first half through Joao Pedro's strike, a second-half brace from Villa forward Ollie Watkins handed Chelsea a crushing loss in their opening fixture after Christmas.

Maresca included Palmer in his starting XI for Chelsea, but opted to withdraw the England star in the 72nd minute with the scoreline locked at 1-1.

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Estevao Willian was brought on in place of Palmer, with Villa subsequently taking the lead 12 minutes later through what turned out to be Watkins' match-winning effort, reports football.london.

Palmer appeared visibly frustrated as he made his way off the pitch after his substitution for Chelsea.

Maresca was absent from the technical area for Chelsea due to serving a touchline suspension for the match, with Palmer seen in conversation with Blues assistant boss Willy Caballero following his substitution.

Following Chelsea's loss to Villa, Maresca was questioned about whether Palmer's substitution reaction had irritated him.

"No, no, no," Maresca told reporters. "He [Palmer] was working very good. On and off the ball, he was pressing good. We have another game soon."

Palmer has spent a significant part of the season recovering from a groin injury, which has forced the England international to miss 14 matches across all competitions as well as a further two with a toe injury.

Maresca and Chelsea have been carefully monitoring Palmer's fitness and playing time since the midfielder made his comeback to the squad for the FIFA Club World Cup champions.

Chelsea's upcoming fixture is against Bournemouth on Tuesday, marking their last match of 2025.

The Blues are eager to close out the year with a victory, especially after securing only one point from their previous two Premier League matches.

Chelsea's defeat to Villa leaves them in fifth place in the Premier League table and three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool, who themselves secured a narrow 2-1 win at home to Wolves earlier in the day.

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