Cole Palmer might not be 100%, but that has not stopped the Chelsea star from scoring. At Wolves, Palmer became the first Premier League player to score three first-half hat-tricks.
A 3-1 win for Chelsea thanks to Palmer being pinpoint from the spot on two occasions, followed by a gorgeous Chelsea goal that saw Marc Cucurella find Palmer in the box, and he finished with aplomb.
That’s three more goals for Palmer, who has now had a hand in 10 goals in 17 appearances for Chelsea this season. Eight goals, two assists – six of which have come with Rosenior in charge of the London side.
Cole Palmer is back!
Palmer scores on his 100th start. Has any Chelsea player done more than him in that amount of games?
Chelsea's English midfielder #10 Cole Palmer celebrates
Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images
Indeed, Palmer has scored against Brentford and notched two assists in the 3-2 comeback win over Napoli. A true game-changer by definition, Palmer has overtaken another old Chelsea difference maker.
Palmer has now overtaken Drogba after 114 appearances
That was the 12-time England star’s 114th appearance for Chelsea since the Blues paid Man City around £40m for his services in the summer of 2023. His hat-trick took his tally of goals to a whopping 51.
Incredible numbers for a midfielder, the kind of numbers you would expect from a certain Frank Lampard. But actually, Palmer has now overtaken Didier Drogba in terms of goals scored after 114 appearances.
Ian MacNicol Archive
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Of course, Drogba would go on to score 164 goals in 381 games for the Blues, almost at a rate of one in every two games. But 114 games into his Chelsea stint, Drogba had only managed to score 49 times.
Palmer’s hat-trick has now taken the former Man City man to a whopping 51 goals, having crossed the white line on a total of 48 goals. An incredible amount of goals, from an incredible player – Chelsea’s best.
What Dimitar Berbatov and Rob Edwards said about Cole Palmer
Most Premier League managers, aside from Rosenior, probably shake in sight of Palmer and rightly so. Indeed, Wolves boss Rob Edwards smirked at how he disliked Palmer because he scores against him.
Cole Palmer is the best signing of the Todd Boehly era, there’s no debate 🤩
“I’m not sure I like that lad very much! He’s scored a couple against me before. He’s a special footballer,” the Wolves gaffer said. Edwards had earlier admitted his hand was hurting after punching a door.
Dimitar Berbatov was just as impressed with Palmer at Wolves: “The quality he possesses is unbelievable. When he’s scoring, creating, he’s pushing them. He’s the guy who can come up with something special.”
Hopefully, Palmer will be fit for the welcome of Leeds on Tuesday night at Stamford Bridge, having come off on the hour mark at Molineux. But to be ahead of Drogba at this stage, as a midfielder, is incredible.
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