FINAL WHISTLE: COLE PALMER SUBSTITUTED WHILE NEW GIRLFRIEND OLIVIA HOLDER WATCHES FROM THE STANDS
Cole Palmer’s new partner, Olivia Holder, debut at Stamford Bridge during Chelsea's 2-1 defeat. Read Maresca’s reaction to the loss.
Cole Palmer's new girlfriend was spotted at Stamford Bridge watching Chelsea get beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa. Olivia Holder was at the game Saturday, where Palmer got subbed off with 20 minutes left. This comes just after a low-key date at Winter Wonderland, but there wasn't much to celebrate after the loss.
Palmer's new thing
Holder and Palmer reportedly go way back to when they were 17. They first showed up in public together on a fancy vacation last summer. Around Christmas 2025, they were seen at Winter Wonderland—about a year after Palmer took his ex, Connie Grace, there before they broke up last summer. Now, this weekend, she was watching the 23-year-old as Chelsea lost to Villa. Palmer, who used to play for Manchester City, couldn't do much, and he looked ticked off when he got taken out of the game in the 72nd minute.
Coach Enzo Maresca said about that, He was doing great, both with the ball and without it, pressing hard. He was really good. We have another game soon, so it's good he's back and playing well.
Chelsea's foul-up
Chelsea played great for about an hour before Villa turned it around and won. In the first half, Chelsea almost scored twice, while Villa didn't even come close. Maresca said that himself.
Maresca, who watched from the stands because he was suspended after getting three yellow cards, told BBC Match of the Day, "For an hour, until they scored, we were all over them." We were awesome. But after that, things changed. We should have scored two or three more before they tied it up.
In that first hour, you can't say it was about experience. But afterwards, we had problems. Their subs—Watkins, Onana, and Sancho—helped them a bit.
Chelsea's misery, Villa's happiness
Villa's coach, Unai Emery, was happy his team won, especially after how the first half went. Ollie Watkins scored twice, cancelling out Joao Pedro's first goal and pushing Villa's winning streak to 11 games.
Emery said, We stuck to our game plan, but they were amazing in the first half. They had all the control. We couldn't get the ball. We were defending deep and doing okay. They only got one corner, and they scored from it. We had to be passionate and keep fighting. That's what we talked about at halftime. We knew we could play better because they were pushing so hard in the first half.
We were getting better and needed some fresh players with different skills. The guys who came in really made a difference and helped us win.
Villa kills Chelsea's title hopes.
This loss puts Chelsea 13 points behind Arsenal and 10 behind Villa. It looks like Chelsea's out of the title race. Their best bet now is to win a cup and try to get into the Champions League next season.
About Villa's next game against Arsenal, who're leading the league, Emery said, We're going to compete hard. We're not talking about our league goals yet because there are other teams like Liverpool and Chelsea fighting hard for points. We're doing great, winning games, and competing well, but we need to stay aware as we improve.
He said they're not trying to win the title with Arsenal or Manchester City, who are in second place.
There are still 20 games left, he added. It's not over yet.
XAVI OPENLY DECLARES INTEREST IN CHELSEA JOB DURING PERMANENT MANAGER SEARCH
With Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola on the shortlist, explore why Xavi Hernández wants to take over the Chelsea hotseat next.
Xavi has openly said he’d love to manage Chelsea, and now the Blues are hunting for someone to replace Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior got the sack last month after a rough patch just three months into his huge contract that was supposed to last six and a half years. Calum McFarlane is filling in as interim head coach until season’s end, but Chelsea are actively looking for a permanent boss for the 2026/27 campaign.
They're considering some big names. Xabi Alonso’s been mentioned; he’s been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in January. Andoni Iraola, who’s about to leave Bournemouth, is also on the shortlist.
Cesc Fabregas has been linked after his strong run at Como, and Frank Lampard’s in the mix too, fresh off winning the Championship with Coventry and securing promotion.
But Xavi really stands out. He’s already made it clear he’s interested in the Chelsea job. Back in 2019, before his Barcelona return, he said, “I don’t hide it; my goal is to come back to Europe and to Barca. It's my challenge, but I’m enjoying this current project. For me, training a team in Barcelona would be a privilege, the biggest privilege.”
He didn’t just talk about Spain either. “Honestly, who doesn’t love the Premier League? The atmosphere, packed stadiums, everyone says it’s incredible,” Xavi admitted. “If I had to pick, I’d go for a big team: City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, or Tottenham. Klopp, Pochettino, and Unai Emery are doing amazing work there.”
After returning to Barcelona in 2021, Xavi led them to a La Liga title and the Supercopa de España before Hansi Flick took over in 2024. He’s been out of work since.
Now, Chelsea seems seriously interested in the Spaniard. According to The i, the club wants someone who can embed a strong football identity across their teams, something Enzo Maresca started.
Getting Xavi won’t be easy, though. Morocco’s national team reportedly sees him as a top candidate to replace Walid Regragui, and Manchester United is eyeing him too as they weigh options beyond Michael Carrick.
Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso is the bookmakers’ favourite for the Chelsea role, but word is he’d want more control over club decisions if he moves to west London.
COLE PALMER MISSES PENALTY AS CHELSEA SUFFER HISTORIC SIXTH CONSECUTIVE LEAGUE DEFEAT
Chelsea matched a 1912 record with their 6th straight loss, falling 3-1 to Forest as Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice at the Bridge.
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Chelsea hit rock bottom again, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. That’s six Premier League defeats in a row now, something the club hadn’t seen since 1912. Just when you thought the season couldn’t get any worse, Forest showed up with a makeshift lineup and absolutely stunned them. Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice, one barely a minute into the match, and then Igor Jesus put away a penalty, and suddenly Forest was six points clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea hadn’t scored in five games, and it looked like that streak would go on forever. Then, in stoppage time, Joao Pedro finally managed an overhead kick to break the drought. That run was made even more ridiculous earlier when Cole Palmer missed a first-half penalty. Matz Sels, Forest’s backup goalkeeper, saved it.
Honestly, the crowd in the Shed End probably barely recognised their own team. Pereira swapped in seven new outfield players, most of them with almost no league experience; he was clearly thinking about the upcoming Europa League semi-final. But it looked like Chelsea was the stranger out there.
Things only got worse for interim head coach Calum McFarlane. He lost Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho to late injuries, so 18-year-old Jesse Derry had to make his Premier League debut. Then, late in the first half, Derry collided heads with Forest’s Zach Abbott and had to be stretchered off after getting oxygen. It was brutal to watch.
The match itself? Chaos. Less than two minutes in, Chelsea messed up their own throw-in and let Forest stroll through midfield. Dilane Bakwa beat Marc Cucurella with little effort and crossed to Awoniyi, who was completely unmarked and headed it in.
Fifteen minutes later, Chelsea conceded again. Bakwa whipped in another cross; Malo Gusto pulled Awoniyi’s shirt, and VAR handed Forest a penalty. Jesus hammered it right down the middle.
The first half was hopeless, and by the end, serious concern set in after that nasty head clash between Derry and Abbott. Abbott, playing just his second league game, left on his own, but Derry needed serious treatment and was stretchered off.
After a nearly ten-minute stoppage, Palmer’s penalty was stopped by Sels. At halftime, Levi Colwill returned from a major injury he hadn’t played since tearing his ACL in August. He tried to restore order, but nothing changed.
Forest’s third goal came just seven minutes into the second half. Gibbs-White crossed, and Awoniyi tapped in from close range, just managing to stay onside. Chelsea’s keeper, Robert Sanchez, took a knock and left with a bandaged head after colliding with Gibbs-White.
Pedro’s late goal barely counted for anything. The few Chelsea fans left in the stadium cheered, but it was more out of irony than joy.
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