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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