Cole Palmer has finally silenced the penalty merchant taunts, with his goal in Chelsea’s emphatic 4-1 win over Aston Villa breaking an intriguing personal record.
John Obi Mikel called for Cole Palmer to be used as a number 10 and he got his wish against Aston Villa, as Liam Rosenior shook things up.
Palmer bagged himself a goal, but was arguably more impressive on the defensive end, finishing with seven recoveries. He also created two chances.
The only worry with Palmer of late is his fitness with games coming thick and fast this month, with the FA Cup, Champions League, and Premier League fixtures.
But for now, we can enjoy the fact that Palmer is breaking records.
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Cole Palmer scores an open play goal for the first time against an opponent in the top five
According to Squawka, for the first time in his career, Cole Palmer scored a non-penalty goal in the Premier League against an opponent starting the day in the top five at Villa Park.
While Palmer has long been Chelsea’s primary source of production, his inability to score from open play against top-five opposition had remained a stubborn statistical anomaly until Wednesday night.
By ending this drought in such a pivotal 4-1 victory, Palmer proved he remains the big-game architect Liam Rosenior needs to sustain a Champions League push.
Beyond the goal, his tactical intelligence was on full display as he was behind Joao Pedro’s third, exploiting Villa’s high line with a perfectly weighted through ball.
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