Cole Palmer has accomplished history by becoming the first player in the Premier League to score four goals in the first half of a match as Chelsea hosted Brighton. The Blues defeated Brighton 4-2 thanks to Palmer’s heroics and are announcing themselves in the title race. With Rodri out for the season, there’s a chance for teams like Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool to try and chase City who dropped points in a draw against Newcastle United Saturday.
Palmer is also now joint top for hat tricks in Chelsea history with three in only 39 league appearances for the club. Palmer joins Chelsea legends like Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink but with one more hat trick, he’ll stand alone at the top for the Blues.
Following that half, after Erling Haaland, Palmer is now second in the Premier League in goals scored with five. Palmer now joins Noni Madueke as the players to score Premier League hat tricks for the Blues. It’s actually the second time that he’s scored four goals in a game for Chelsea, scoring four against Everton in April of last season while also having a first half hat trick in that match. With five goals and four assists so far this season, Palmer is turning into a special player for Chelsea.
Scoring from a free kick and various runs into the box, Palmer has been able to cut through the Brighton defense to make things happen. The Blues were able to ride that hot start to victory thanks to Palmer but it wasn’t just down to his accomplishments.
Jadon Sancho is showing that all he needed to do was get out of Manchester United with three assists in only three matches for Chelsea. Getting that many assists from only five chances created isn’t sustainable but Sancho’s presence has added balance to Enzo Maresca’s side. It creates more space for Palmer in the middle and also adds another player into the attack who is strong in possession.
As the Blues look to establish their identity in another season under new management, it helps to have one of the best players in the league on your side alongside a proven creator. With even Nicolas Jackson finding form the Blues are quickly becoming a team that no one wants to face.
Defensively there are some concerns as Brighton took advantage of mistakes playing out of the back which Brighton jumped on but as the players get more comfortable with each other and Maresca’s tactics, play will only improve. That’s where this could be a spot of worry for other teams around the league. For the past few seasons, Chelsea hasn’t been a real threat for a top four finish let alone a title challenge so it could throw a wrench in the works around the league.
