Cole Palmer sets remarkable Premier League record in Chelsea vs Brighton clash
Incredible footballer!
Cole Palmer has become the first player in Premier League history to score four goals before half-time in a single match.
The Chelsea star netted a hat-trick and then added a fourth in the opening 45 minutes of Saturday’s clash against Brighton at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer also had two other goals ruled out and hit the bar in what was a truly incredible first-half performance in west London.
The Englishman scored his first goal against Brighton after 21 minutes as a mistake from Adam Webster allowed Nicolas Jackson to go one-on-one with Bart Verbruggen, with the striker passing across to Palmer to slot home.
Palmer’s second goal came from the penalty spot on 28 minutes, and he then made it a hat-trick just moments later with a curling free-kick from 25 yards.
Goal number four came in the 41st minute – with Jadon Sancho’s forward pass allowing Palmer to run through and score against an open Brighton defence.
The 22-year-old has been in fine form this season, picking up where he left off after a glowing 2023-24 campaign.
Palmer provided 22 goals and 11 assists across 34 Premier League games last term, breaking a record set by Blues legend Eden Hazard.
Chelsea signed Palmer from Manchester City in a deal worth £42.5m in the summer of 2023 – but Pep Guardiola never wanted to lose the player.
Speaking in April, Guardiola said: ‘He was asking for two seasons to leave and I said, ‘No! Stay! Stay!’ – but he said, ‘No – I want to leave’ – what could we do?’
‘I said in pre-season, stay. He said he wanted to leave. What could we do? I said stay because Riyad [Mahrez] is gone but for two seasons he wanted to leave.
‘Playing that level [he is now] is exceptional. He’s an exceptional player. I didn’t give the minutes that maybe he deserved and now he has at Chelsea.
‘I understand completely. He’s a shy guy with a lot of potential. It is what it is. He’s playing fantastic so what can I say, the decision has been made for many reasons.’
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