Cole Palmer’s red card against Tottenham continues to draw attention, with Dermot Gallagher, Jay Bothroyd, and Tim Sherwood all split in their opinions.

The Tottenham Hotspur versus Chelsea encounter was not without controversy, despite the Lilywhites walking away with all three points after beating their London rivals 2-0.

The major talking point that has split opinion came from Cole Palmer’s sending-off, after the Chelsea number ten picked up two bookings.

Things are heating up at the Bridge as Cole Palmer and Mateus Fernandes both receive a yellow! 🟨 https://t.co/hYXFl6xlZi

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 24, 2026

His first caution has drawn the most attention, as Palmer barged into the head of Mateus Fernandes after the midfielder stopped a quick Chelsea break via a handball, having gone to ground with a tackle on Palmer.

A visibly frustrated Palmer could not contain himself and barged into Fernandes – an offence that saw him booked alongside the Spurs man.

Dermot Gallagher backs Chris Kavanagh over Cole Palmer decision in Tottenham win

Given the force and intent, some believe Palmer was fortunate to escape with only a yellow card. But former referee Dermot Gallagher, speaking on Ref Watch, was adamant that Chris Kavanagh, the official on the day, got the decision spot on.

He said: “I back the ref because it is so open to debate.”

However, that view split opinion in the studio. Jay Bothroyd compared Palmer’s action to similar incidents that have led to red cards, such as putting a head into an opponent’s face.

He said: “Fernandes clearly provokes him and has played it really well. Palmer has definitely not hit him as much as his reaction, but what we’ve seen in recent weeks when you see people putting their head into someone’s face, then it should be a red card.”

Bothroyd was backed by Tim Sherwood, who added: “If you’re going to send someone off for putting their head into someone’s nose, then I think it could be [a red card]. Palmer has knocked him over.”

Premier League rules suggest Palmer could have seen red

Spurs Web has looked at the Premier League’s own rules on violent conduct, and based on what is outlined on the league’s official website, Palmer could well have been sent off.

The rules state that a player who is not challenging for the ball will be dismissed if they:

Former referee Graham Barber also suggested Palmer should have been dismissed, saying: “It wouldn’t surprise me if he had been sent off. I’ve always said to you that two yellows need to equal a red. So in the particular outcome of this match, it was yellow and yellow because his second challenge was equally poor. His second challenge was a late challenge, probably with a genuine attempt to make a tackle.

“But his first challenge was just petulant. If he’d been sent off, I wouldn’t have been surprised.

“The only thing sometimes you look at is the cynicism of Fernandes on the floor with a deliberate handball which, if you think about it from a player’s point of view, must be infuriating when somebody does something so far outside the laws of the game.

“But having said that, that doesn’t justify his reaction. If he’d got a red card, no one would have argued. Nobody wants anybody to sit on the fence and if I was the referee I would have potentially sent him off, to be honest, because it was just a ridiculous reaction.”

Mark Halsey, however, disagreed, stating that Kavanagh’s decision to issue only a yellow card for Palmer’s barge on Fernandes was correct.

He said: “It all sparked to life in the 70th minute, where we saw Micky van de Ven go charging into a reckless challenge on Moises Caicedo. The referee plays a good advantage and then we see Mateus Fernandes fall to the ground and deliberately handle the ball, which he was rightly cautioned for.

“Cole Palmer, bit stupid from him, then adopts an aggressive attitude towards Fernandes while he’s on the floor. Some were asking ‘was it a red card?’ but, for me, a yellow card was the correct outcome because it was him adopting an aggressive attitude towards an opponent.”

While Spurs managed to secure the victory, the incident could have proven costly had the Lilywhites lost, with inconsistency in Premier League officiating once again highlighted. VAR did not even review the challenge for a potential red card, which makes it all the more frustrating.