Cole Palmer removed from Chelsea line-up just minutes from kick-off vs West Ham

Chelsea have been forced to replace Cole Palmer minutes before kick-off against West Ham.

The Blues attacking midfielder was named in the starting XI to take on the Hammers by manager Enzo Maresca.

But he will play no part in the match after suffering an injury in the warm-up.

Palmer left the warm-up after being treated by Chelsea's medical staff at the London Stadium.

He was replaced in the XI by winger Estevao Willian, making his first Premier League start.

The Brazilian appeared off the bench during Chelsea's 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace on Sunday and produced a lively cameo.

The exact nature of Palmer's injury has not yet been revealed but the nature of his withdrawal will no doubt be a concern for the Blues.

Matters were made worse for Maresca's side after Lucas Paqueta put West Ham 1-0 up on six minutes with a stunning strike.

The Brazil midfielder carried the ball towards the penalty area and fired it into the top right corner from 25 yards, leaving goalkeeper Robert Sanchez with no chance of saving it.

But they were quickly back on level terms nine minutes later, with Joao Pedro heading in from close range from a corner.

Niclas Fullkrug then thought he had it made it 2-1 at the other end, but the goal was ruled out for offside by VAR.

It was instead 2-1 to Chelsea inside 25 minutes, with Pedro Neto volleying home Pedro's cross at the back post.

Chelsea's record without Cole Palmer

Palmer has been Chelsea's star player over the past two Premier League seasons, scoring 37 goals and providing 19 assists.

He played all bar one game last season, and only missed two games the season before.

Coincidentally, two of his absences were due to illness, and saw him miss away fixtures against Arsenal on both occasions.

Sadly for Chelsea, they lost 1-0 and 5-0 to the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium.

His only other absence was enforced, having hit the yellow card threshold before a home fixture against Crystal Palace in December 2023. Chelsea won that match 2-1.