Cole Palmer ‘didn’t turn up’ against Arsenal, and fans believe there could be a trend here. The Blues talisman struggled to make an impact in his side’s 2-1 defeat at the Emirates, as the Gunners edged a heated London derby.Cole Palmer has now gone almost three years without a goal involvement against ArsenalGettyAfter Morgan Rogers‘ second-minute opener, the Premier League champions fought back with goals from Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard.Palmer struggles in big games?It proved a quiet afternoon for Palmer, who failed to register a goal involvement for the first time in a league game this term.Having scored twice and assisted once in his opening two games, the 24-year-old contributed little over 90 minutes against Arsenal apart from one shot and a penetrating pass to Joao Pedro.This saw his woes against the Gunners continue, with the Emirates in particular proving a bogey ground for Palmer over the years.Since joining Chelsea in 2023, the England international has scored just once in five appearances against his London rivals – in a 2-2 draw in October 2023.Some fans have also questioned his overall record against the so-called Premier League ‘big six’. Palmer has 11 goal contributions in 20 appearances for Chelsea against Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham.However, nine of these have come against Man United and Spurs, who have struggled in that time. He only has two penalties – against Arsenal and Man City – to show for his outings against the other ‘big six’ teams during his time with the Blues – having failed to contribute against Liverpool at all.Durham criticises Palmer displayPalmer’s latest display against Arsenal has drawn criticism from talkSPORT’s Adrian Durham, who insisted this wasn’t the first time the Englishman has struggled against the north Londoners.Palmer was marked out of the game against ArsenalDiscussing Arsenal’s win over Chelsea on Monday, he said: “Yet again, Cole Palmer didn’t turn up against Arsenal. It’s true, he didn’t.”Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy was quick to defend Palmer here, who argued that the Gunners set out to nullify his threat as the Blues talisman.Murphy responded: “I’ll tell you this much, it’s embarrassing the narrative about Palmer.“I get over a period of time, he hasn’t played that many times against Arsenal, and Arsenal have beaten Chelsea for God knows how long.“But it’s unfair. The reality is Palmer started the season brilliantly, and the fact he’s even on the pitch with [Morgan] Rogers puts it in Arsenal’s mindset that they’ve got to be really at it and defend super well. “And when he’s getting the ball, you can see Arsenal, they’re doubling up, they’re closing it, it’s because it’s him.Palmer’s only goal in Chelsea colours against Arsenal came from the penalty spot in October 2023“So I would say you’d be able to count on one end of this season, someone who gives Arsenal a really torrid time.”Murphy then asked: “Tell me somebody now who you think is going to single-handedly cause Arsenal loads of problems with the way they defend?”However, Durham insisted that Palmer must shoulder the responsibility to provide Chelsea’s attacking threat in big games if he is to be truly regarded as a top player.Durham continued: “I’m saying, if somebody’s going to do it, I expected Cole Palmer to do it. He then asked: “What would you give him out of ten? Six max? “If you’re going to be a top player, elite level, you’ve got to give the champions more trouble than he gave them yesterday.” Palmer has three goal involvements in his first three Premier League games this term – but none came against ArsenalGettyAnonymous at the Emirates?While Durham singled out Palmer for criticism after Chelsea’s defeat, his woes against Arsenal had also been highlighted beforehand.Ahead of the London derby clash on the Sports Bar, Blues’ fan Don – known online as ‘Don CFC’ – claimed a big performance against the Gunners was long overdue from Palmer.Don began: “Cole Palmer owes us a big game against Arsenal.”The Chelsea superfan and online personality then pointed to Palmer’s absence at the Emirates over the years.Prior to Sunday’s clash, the playmaker had missed two out of a possible three league away clashes with the Gunners, with a 2-1 defeat in March his first appearance in north London.In April 2024, Palmer missed Chelsea’s 5-0 thumping at the Emirates due to a cold, before a hamstring injury ruled him out of another defeat in March 2025.Don continued: “He’s been here for four seasons and he’s only played at the Emirates once.”Joining Don on the Sports Bar was Arsenal online creator ‘Rory Talks Arsenal’, who agreed on Palmer, saying: “He goes missing against us.”As well as missing some high profile trips to the Emirates, Palmer was an unused substitute in Chelsea’s 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge last season as he recovered from a persistent groin injury.Palmer has been heavily affected by fitness issues against Arsenal over the yearsGettyHighlighted this, Rory added: “There have been times where he’s missed an Arsenal game and then he plays the next game for Chelsea.”Urging Palmer to change the narrative, Don chimed in: “When we play Arsenal away – he’s usually not there.“That’s just the facts of it. So he owes us a big game.”