The 24-year-old England winger, who previously made 41 appearances for Manchester City alongside 141 outings in a Chelsea shirt, was dismissed in the 80th minute after collecting a second booking. His ejection officially pushed Chelsea’s overall tally of red cards in the Premier League era past the 100 mark. The West London club now join Everton and Arsenal as the only teams to have accumulated at least a century of dismissals since the inception of the competition in 1992.

Official Premier League statistics reveal that several other clubs are closing in on the century mark. Newcastle United currently follow Chelsea on the all-time disciplinary list, with their players having accrued 96 red cards. Meanwhile, the two Manchester giants remain somewhat further behind. Manchester City players have picked up 78 red cards over the years, whilst Manchester United sit just one behind on 77.

Discipline continues to be a focal point across the English top flight this season. As of 24 October 2026, 12 players have been sent off in the current campaign, with Brentford and Sunderland suffering two dismissals each. Although Palmer’s sending-off marks Chelsea’s first red card of the ongoing campaign, it follows a particularly turbulent period for the club’s disciplinary record.

During the 2025–26 campaign, Chelsea topped the Premier League’s disciplinary standings by accumulating eight red cards—the highest total recorded by any team that season. Despite that poor run, Chelsea do not hold the absolute record for the most red cards received by a single team in a single Premier League season. That record remains jointly shared by Sunderland, who accumulated nine dismissals during the 2009–10 campaign, and Queens Park Rangers, who matched that tally in the 2011–12 season.

Palmer’s dismissal against Tottenham highlights ongoing disciplinary challenges for Chelsea, as mounting red cards continue to impact key domestic fixtures.