Chelsea Were Own Worst Enemies in Burnley Draw, Says Palmer

Burnley's Northern Irish midfielder #24 Josh Cullen (R) shoots to score their first goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Burnley at Stamford Bridge in London on March 30, 2024. (AFP)
Burnley's Northern Irish midfielder #24 Josh Cullen (R) shoots to score their first goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Burnley at Stamford Bridge in London on March 30, 2024. (AFP)
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Chelsea Were Own Worst Enemies in Burnley Draw, Says Palmer

Burnley's Northern Irish midfielder #24 Josh Cullen (R) shoots to score their first goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Burnley at Stamford Bridge in London on March 30, 2024. (AFP)
Burnley's Northern Irish midfielder #24 Josh Cullen (R) shoots to score their first goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Burnley at Stamford Bridge in London on March 30, 2024. (AFP)

Chelsea have shot themselves in the foot on multiple occasions throughout the season and were simply not good enough defensively in their 2-2 Premier League draw to 10-man Burnley, attacker Cole Palmer said.

Palmer's two goals were cancelled out by strikes from Josh Cullen and Dara O'Shea as Chelsea dropped points despite having a man's advantage over relegation-threatened Burnley to remain 11th in the league standings.

It was the fifth match in a row that Chelsea conceded two goals.

"The changing room is really down," Palmer told Sky Sports on Saturday. "When they went down to 10 men, we were 1-0 up and just got too comfortable. Same story, we kill ourselves every week. It's got to improve from us as players.

"We had many chances and then that time we defended sloppy. It's very disappointing. On a personal level it's good to score two, but if you don't get the three points they count for nothing.

"I think it's our consistency all around the pitch, being alive and not switching off like we did today. It's poor, it can't happen. Especially when they go down to 10 men."

Chelsea next host sixth-placed Manchester United in a league clash on Thursday.



‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
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‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.