Football Features

    The best stats as Cole Palmer scores four against Everton in night to remember at Stamford Bridge

    By Harry Edwards

    Published: 22:10, 15 April 2024

    It was the Cole Palmer show as Chelsea beat Everton 6-0 at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.

    There was an air of nervousness around Stamford Bridge as Chelsea hosted the struggling Toffees, having followed up their thrilling 4-3 win over Manchester United with a 2-2 draw against Sheffield United.

    Win, lose or draw, Chelsea were always going to end the gameweek in ninth, and Everton were chasing a first league win at Stamford Bridge in 29 visits.

    But any Chelsea worries were quickly allayed as Palmer made his mark. It’s been a fantastic season for Palmer, one of the few — or perhaps only — shining lights of a terrible campaign for the Blues. And against Everton he reminded everyone just why.

    Bet MGM Offer: Bet £5 on any Champions League market and get £5 free horse racing bet

    Looking for an offer for this week's Champions League action? How about a free £5 horse racing bet when you place a £5 bet on any Champions League market? Here's all the info:

    1. Sign up at Bet MGM using this link
    2. Place a £5 bet (minimum odds 1.5) on any Champions League market
    3. Get credited with a £5 Free Horse Racing bet
    18+ GambleAware.org Opt-in required. Time to claim: until 20:00 on 10/04/24. Qualifying min. stake: £5 on Champions League. Min Odds:1/2 (1.5). £5 Free Bet available on Horse Racing. Min. odds 3/1 (4.0.) Free Bet stakes not included in returns. Cash out unavailable. Free Bet valid for 7 days. Other Promotional Play Restrictions apply.

    Stamford Bridge streak

    Palmer opened the scoring in the 13th minute after a great move which saw him nutmeg Jarrad Branthwaite and flick the ball to Nicolas Jackson, who completed the one-two.

    The curling shot into the bottom left corner made Palmer the first ever Chelsea player to score in seven successive Premier League appearances at Stamford Bridge. He had entered the game level on six consecutive home matches alongside Didier Drogba and Eidur Gudjohnsen, what names to leave in the dust!

    Palmer has also now been directly involved in 15 goals in his last seven home league games for Chelsea, scoring 13 and providing two assists.

    And, lastly, only Drogba in 2006/07 and Frank Lampard in 2009/10 (both 16) have scored more Premier League goals at Stamford Bridge in a single campaign than Palmer’s 15.

    Quickest hat-trick

    Palmer made it 2-0 five minutes later and completed his hat-trick in the 29th minute with a long-range effort. It was the quickest ever hat-trick for Chelsea in the Premier League.

    Perfection for Palmer

    Palmer’s second was a header, after opening the scoring with his left foot. He completed the hat-trick from range on his weaker right foot, looping the ball over Jordon Pickford after the Everton goalkeeper had passed it right to him.

    It was perfectly weighted, dropping just under the crossbar into the back of the net. A perfect hat-trick, it was Chelsea’s first in the Premier League since Christian Pulisic against Burnley in October 2019.

    It must be something to do with Sean Dyche…

    A piece of history

    And finally on the hat-trick, Palmer became just the second player to score back-to-back home hat-tricks for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, after Drogba who did so in 2010.

    However, Drogba’s two hat-tricks either side of the summer — one at the end of the 2009/10 season vs Wigan, and the second at the start of the 2010/11 season against West Brom. Palmer is the first Chelsea player to score two hat-tricks in one Premier League season.

    Cold as ice

    But he wasn’t done there. Palmer got his fourth from the penalty spot, maintaining his perfect record.

    Palmer did have to deal with some unnecessary aggravation before the spot-kick as both Noni Madueke and Jackson — who scored Chelsea’s fourth with a wonderful touch and finish before half time — fought to take it. But Conor Gallagher pulled rank as captain, handing the ball to Palmer.

    As everybody expected, Palmer calmly sent Pickford the wrong way, making it nine out of nine from the spot in the Premier League this season. Only Yaya Toure (11/11) has maintained a better 100% record from the penalty spot in Premier League history than Palmer.

    In the company of greats

    In getting his fourth, Palmer joined an exclusive list of Chelsea greats. He’s just the fourth Blues player to score four goals in a Premier League game.

    Palmer joins Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Gianluca Vialli and Frank Lampard (twice) in achieving the feat.

    A long time coming

    Palmer has also now scored 20 Premier League goals for the season, moving him joint-top in the race for the Golden Boot.

    He’s the first Chelsea player to score at least 20 league goals in a season since Diego Costa in 2016/17 (20). The last players to score more than 20 for Chelsea in a single league season were Drogba and Lampard in 2009/10.

    Rivalling a legend

    Adding to his 20 goals, Palmer has also recorded nine assists. Across the previous 13 seasons, only Eden Hazard in 2018/19 has been directly involved in more league goals for Chelsea than Palmer. But Palmer is just two away from equalling the Belgian’s return.

    Fortunately for Everton, he was taken off with 10 minutes left to play.

    Read more:

    Previous Article

    Football quiz: How well do you remember these underdog league...

    Next Article

    Is Man City star Erling Haaland meeting expectations at the...

    Related Articles

    Show More