S Poddar
Cole Palmer made history for the Premier League with a scintillating display, scoring four goals in the first half of play to help Chelsea triumph 4-2 over Brighton at Stamford Bridge. It is a great display that speaks to the quality Palmer possesses, and he always rises up to big games.
Chelsea’s game got off to shaky beginnings. When Georginio Rutter has headed the ball into the net, Chelsea found themselves behind after just seven minutes. Instead of crumbling under the pressure, Chelsea quickly regrouped to ensure that Brighton’s high defensive line pushed them into a flurry of goals.
Palmer continued to show everyone how exceptionally good he was, scoring three goals in a rapid succession of time during the first half. His first shot was a simple tap from an excellent pass by Nicolas Jackson. After that, Palmer showed everyone his composure as he converted a penalty after Jadon Sancho was fouled inside the box. But it was that third goal that surely wowed the crowd. Following a foul on Noni Madueke, Palmer took the free-kick and curled it into the top-right corner with an unbelievable shot with no sight for the Brighton goalkeeper. This beautiful goal marks Palmer’s third hat-trick for Chelsea, following the previous hat-tricks against Manchester United and Everton last season.
This goal saw Palmer equal the Premier League goal tallies of Chelsea legends Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Didier Drogba, and Frank Lampard. Brighton, though, were not going to exit quietly into the night. Inspired by the sublime free kick by Palmer, the Seagulls found comfort in defensive lapses by Chelsea as Carlos Baleba drew one back for Brighton with his timeout to help inject a bit of life back into the match.
Palmer was still not tired for the first half yet. He added Chelsea’s fourth four minutes before the end, and that marked the second time he scored four goals for the Blues in a match, with the other time was in the 4-3 thriller against Manchester United. Such a feat made him the first player to score four goals before the half-time break in Premier League history, and perhaps tells why so many see him to be among the very best of the lot in the premier league.
But since his debut for Chelsea last September, Palmer has chipped in with 43 goal contributions. In fact, Palmer presently outstrips Erling Haaland with four more scores until now. At one month short of 23, Palmer has not only regained his form but has also become an outright pillar of Chelsea.
Palmer has made a mark of Chelsea since coming into the team though until now boasting of an impressive record of netting 31 goals across all competitions, though 28 of which were in the PL, though he is known to provide 19 assists of which he brings them all up to an impressive 50 contributions.
Still, Chelsea ensured that even after some chances to stretch their gap over Brighton had slipped, they maintained their lead at 4-2, garnering crucial three points that placed the side up to third position in the Premier League table. Palmer’s display best sums up his determination, hard work, and prospects that only fans can describe as what is to be expected of him and the side.
