There is a Dr Hook song from the late Seventies that goes: “When you’re in love with a beautiful woman . . . you better watch your friends.” That always reminds me of penalty takers — watch your friends.
I took penalties for Millwall and during all my time in France, with Marseille and Nancy, I always had someone trying to take them off me, so it wasn’t so surprising to see Cole Palmer having to fight off Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson in Chelsea’s win over Everton on Monday night.
Either a team-mate had scored twice and they wanted a hat-trick or they were on a barren run and just needed a goal. I didn’t miss a penalty in France but I was
