Cole Palmer has jokingly been dubbed a ‘s*** player’ by one of his team-mates after scoring a hat-trick against Manchester United. Palmer struck twice deep into added time to seal a win over the Red Devils.
In a dramatic turn of events, United was on the brink of securing a crucial victory with a lead in the 99th minute, crucial for their Champions League aspirations.
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However, Palmer, a lifelong supporter of United, dramatically equalized with a penalty and then quickly added another goal, his second arriving in the 101st minute at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer’s final goal marked his first senior hat-trick at the age of 21. He celebrated by collecting signatures from his teammates on the matchball as a keepsake of this memorable occasion.
Amidst the celebrations, an unidentified teammate humorously inscribed “s*** player” on the ball. It remains unknown whether Palmer saw the jest as he proudly displayed the ball to his 1.8 million Instagram followers, with the scribble in plain sight.
Cole Palmer: ‘Sign my hat trick ball lads.’
Chelsea players: pic.twitter.com/4SVp3JgP8s
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) April 5, 2024
The Premier League encounter was a rollercoaster, with Palmer’s initial penalty giving Chelsea a 2-0 advantage. However, Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes brought United level before the break.
Garnacho netted once more in the latter half, seemingly steering United towards a 3-2 win. But Palmer wasn’t finished, converting another penalty in the 100th minute and then swiftly following up with a deflected goal, all within a minute.
“Crazy game,” Palmer said afterwards.”When the eight minutes got added on, it gave us a lift. Madness. I didn’t know what to do. I was running round when I scored. To win like that, there is nothing better.”
Chelsea’s win eases the pressure on Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine was in no doubt about Palmer’s standing within the game.
“One of the best skills is his mentality and his capacity to deal with the pressure,” Pochettino said of Palmer, who now has 16 Premier League goals in a fine debut season with Chelsea.
“He’s young and I think it’s his first season playing very consistently. I think it’s amazing how he is dealing with the pressure. That is all that can be a very good player.
“With the performance today it’s impossible to say that he’s not a top player.”
