Palmer, who had already hit a first half hat-trick, eventually took responsibility, but only after he and captain Conor Gallagher had physically pushed Madueke away. Jackson also appeared irate, and after his side went on to win 6-0 Pochettino vowed in his post-match interview that such behaviour would not be tolerated again.
But the Argentine boss wasn’t about to escape the issue in his mandatory media conference. Rather than the performance of his side being discussed, instead he faced a host of questions on the penalty saga, to the point where he hastily said “thank you and see you later” before hastily heading for the exit door.
However, a clearly angered Pochettino then turned back around and vented his fury at the assembled media members, saying “All day we only talk about one thing. You all, one question all press conference.”
Noni Madueke initially refused to hand the ball over to Cole Palmer. (Image: Getty)
One journalist hit back though, shouting “You stopped the press conference. We didn’t stop the press conference, you did!” That kick-started a back-and-forth between the pair, with Pochettino again reiterating that ‘every question’ was about the same incident.
As the 52-year-old was being ushered out of the door by club personnel, the journalist got one last dig in, shouting: “S**t management of a press conference!” before adding: “Jesus” as Chelsea staff and other members of the media began to clear the room.
The footage further sours Chelsea’s win, which reignited their quest to qualify for the Europa League next season. The Blues remain ninth, but are just three points of sixth-placed Newcastle with a better goal difference and a game in hand.
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Pochettino had previously been prepared to field questions on what transpired at Stamford Bridge, telling Sky Sports: "It's a shame. It's a process for a young team who need to learn a lot.
“I need to apologise because fans around the world are seeing this type of situation after 4-0 to fight for a penalty. They need to learn and be professional. We need to be focused on the collective. It's a clear example that it's a process we still need to learn."