Leading 1-0 at Stamford Bridge courtesy of Marc Cucurrella’s goal, the Blues were awarded a penalty halfway through the first half when Sterling was brought down in the box by Leicester winger Abdul Fatawu.
Palmer, Chelsea’s designated penalty taker, looked set to place the ball on the sport, only for Sterling to take it off his hands.
But the former England international’s tame effort down the middle was saved by Jakub Stolarczyk’s legs.
Palmer has scored 16 goals in all competitions this season, five of them coming from the spot in as many attempts.
Sterling, meanwhile, has eight goals in all competitions to his name this season but has more penalties misses in his career than he has scored in his career – five to four.
The 29-year-old’s poor record from the spot and Palmer’s immaculate conversion rate made Sterling’s decision to take the penalty even harder to comprehend, according to Shearer.
‘What on Earth is going on there? Seriously, I was getting angry and I didn’t really care,’ the Newcastle legend told The Rest Is Football podcast on Monday.
‘I was thinking: “Why on earth is he taking the ball off Palmer?” Palmer’s scored five out of five.
‘He [Palmer] has been the best player for Chelsea, he looks confident when he’s taking them.
Why would you even contemplate taking it off him? Why would you put yourself forward when you have a record like that?’
Co-host Micah Richards interjected suggesting Sterling, who has one goal in his last 12 Premier League appearances, had in fact been offered the chance to take the penalty by Palmer.
It’s confidence. Cole Palmer’s flying, but sometimes a striker in form would give it to a player who is suffering a little bit in confidence,’ he said.
