Chelsea analysis: Ranking the five best goals of Cole Palmer’s 50 for the Blues
Cole Palmer reached 50 goals for Chelsea in just 114 appearances after a stunning first-half hat-trick against Wolves, becoming the first player in Premier League history to score three hat-tricks inside the opening 45 minutes.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Jacob Howson ranks the five finest goals from Palmer’s rapidly growing Chelsea legacy.
Panenka penalty vs Spurs, December 2024
In a frantic meeting with arch-nemesis Spurs who had led 2-0 early on, Palmer sent Chelsea 4-2 up with his second penalty of the game, cheekily lofting his conversion over Fraser Forster who threw a desperate hand towards the ball as he fell to the ground.
All while the Manchester City academy graduate raced off to celebrate in front of a boisterous away end.
vs Fulham, December 2024
In just one of the many London derbies that Palmer has his fingerprints on, the England international received the ball on the half-turn and glided past two Fulham midfielders before he fooled both Bernd Leno and Issa Diop to think he was lining up a shot into the far corner - in reality, Palmer rolled the ball with ease inside the opposite post.
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vs Luton, December 2023
One of Palmer’s more audacious finishes, he made a darting run in behind the Luton defence and was found by Nicolas Jackson, before he rolled the ball round goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski and then sent a defender flying with a fake shot to allow him to pass the ball into an open net.
vs Everton, April 2024
In a game where Palmer scored four goals and grabbed his first hat trick in the first half of a Premier League game, this was the pick of the bunch.
Malo Gusto played it inside to the goalscorer who skillfully nutmegged Jarrod Branthwaite before playing a one-two with Jackson and curling his first-time effort into the bottom corner and past an outstretched Jordan Pickford.
vs Aston Villa, December 2024
In a must-win game against a steely Unai Emery side who would look to challenge Chelsea for the top four, Palmer wrapped up an emphatic 3-0 win in style with a sidestep past Leon Bailey before guiding a 0.02 xG shot into the top corner.
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Club World Cup final vs PSG, July 2025
After grabbing the opener on the biggest stage against the European Champions led by Luis Enrique, Palmer exploited space behind the Parisian’s defence and moved inside onto his left foot - when it looked like he would pull the trigger, Palmer faked two shots to sit defenders down and open up space to pass the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.
Free-kick goal vs Brighton, September 2024
Palmer shocked the Stamford Bridge crowd with a fantastic free-kick goal from 30 yards out as he whipped the ball towards the top corner with pace and flight, and despite Bart Verbruggen’s fingertips getting to the strike, the placement was too perfect to stop.
The finish capped off another first-half hat-trick for the Blues midfielder, before adding a fourth goal minutes later.
Chelsea’s mercurial talent seems to have found his form again, and Blues fans will be crossing their fingers for him to stay fit ahead of a tough run of fixtures in the fight for Champions League qualification.
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