Chelsea hit with major Cole Palmer injury blow minutes before West Ham match

Chelsea forward Cole Palmer suffered an injury during the warm-up at the London Stadium and has been replaced by Estevao in the starting line-up to take on West Ham.

Palmer, 23, was named in the XI by Enzo Maresca but had been forced to withdraw after picking up an injury while warming up. He was spotted walking off and down the tunnel alongside Chelsea fitness coach Marcos Alvarez.

He later walked out and sat on the bench alongside the rest of his Blues teammates before kick-off. Palmer's absence is a major blow for Maresca and Chelsea as they look to record their first win of the new season.

Estevao is expected to line up on the right-hand side with Pedro Neto moving to the left and Joao Pedro dropping into the No.10 behind striker Liam Delap.

More to follow...

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