Cole Palmer defines Xabi Alonso's Chelsea bow with brilliance and frustration

New Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso was given a debut to remember for all the right — and wrong — reasons, with talismanic attacking midfielder Cole Palmer at the centre of the story.

A new report on Fotmob highlights how Palmer provided Alonso with the best and worst moments of his first match on the Chelsea bench, underlining the England international's status as the most influential — and at times most infuriating — figure in the Blues' new era.

Palmer's moments of magic offered Alonso a glimpse of the upside his side can possess under new management, while the same player's lapses served as a timely reminder of the inconsistencies the Spaniard must iron out if Chelsea are to mount a sustained challenge.

With the spotlight firmly on Alonso's first taste of management at Stamford Bridge, it was Palmer — already the club's reference point in the final third — who shaped the narrative of the afternoon, for better and for worse.