– You would have a very good probability of winning the golden boot.
Palmer was simply sensible, scoring a hat-trick in 29 minutes and adding his twentieth goal of the Premier League season in the second half to maneuver him level with Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot.
This is much more remarkable considering the situation before Palmer moved from Manchester City to Chelsea The 21-year-old has never scored a goal in the league this summer.
Palmer has also recorded nine assists in 28 Premier League games this season, a conversion probability rate of 33% and a high shot accuracy of 67%, comparable to Newcastle’s Alexander Isak. Both in-form strikers rating a goal on average every 104 minutes of play.
Fast forward seven months and the England star may very well be well on his option to becoming the league’s top scorer.
From super sub to primary man
Back in November Palmer told BBC Sport he moved from his boys club to west London looking for “regular playing time”.
Last season he played 25 matches for Manchester City, of which only seven were in the starting lineup. In contrast, he has already scored 25 goals in a powerful 43 games this campaign.
The £42m change has clearly paid off for each Palmer and his employers. He is the mainstay of Mauricio Pochettino’s side and has scored the most league goals in a season for the Blues since Diego Costa also scored 20 goals in 2016/17.
Chelsea still have seven league games left.
“He’s expected to do well but he’s doing fantastic and he’s doing great with the team,” Chelsea manager Pochettino told BBC Match of the Day. “I’m happy he scored four goals.”
How Palmer punished the Everton defense
Palmer scored his first three goals brilliantly, along with his left foot, header and right foot, completing the fastest “perfect” hat-trick in the Premier League since Gracenote began recording the data in the 2008–09 season.
He opened the scoring in the thirteenth minute with a phenomenal strike into the bottom corner after he had clipped Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite and played one-two with teammate Nicolas Jackson.
Five minutes later he scored his second goal, after Jackson’s shot was deflected in by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
He scored his hat-trick in style midway through the first half when he intercepted a poor pass from Pickford before lobbing a shot past the English goalkeeper from 40 yards out.
And after the restart, he scored a penalty kick and calmly added his fourth from the spot.
“Everything is happening so fast,” Palmer told Sky Sports. “The first one was my favorite, my right foot was a bit hesitant!”
Even if Palmer goes to make some fortune, his 4 goals to his name mean the Mancunian now boasts some pretty impressive stats:
- Palmer became the first Chelsea player to attain a first-half hat-trick in the Premier League and the second player to attain a hat-trick in consecutive Premier League home appearances, after Didier Drogba in May/August 2010.
- He became the first Chelsea player to attain in seven consecutive Premier League appearances at Stamford Bridge.
- He is just the third player to attain over 20 goals in his debut season in the Premier League for Chelsea, after Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (23 goals in 2000/01) and Diego Costa (20 goals in 2014/15).
- He has converted all nine penalties he has taken in the Premier League, with only Yaya Toure (11/11) having a greater 100% spot conversion rate in the competition’s history.
Who could challenge Palmer for the golden shoe?
The obvious answer is Erling Haaland, who had a record-breaking season last season, scoring 36 league goals in 35 games. However, Haaland, a minimum of for him, is in poor form, scoring just two goals in his last eight games for City and Norway.
Ollie Watkins scored one goal lower than Palmer and Haaland. His 19 goals are the most in the history of his club Aston Villa in the Premier League, equaling Christian Benteke’s tally in the 2012-13 season.
Three goals ahead of Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah, a three-time golden boot winner. Salah’s 17 goals puts the Egyptian level with Bournemouth’s Dominic Solanke and Newcastle’s Alexander Isak.
Tottenham’s Son Heung-min and West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen are outsiders with 15 goals each.
Palmer is the league’s top scorer with 11 goals in his last six games in all competitions. Who would oppose him?
– Palmer to England? – What did you say
Rating: Come on, hands up – who had Ollie Watkins and Cole Palmer in the fight for the golden boot? NO?
Bill: Can Southgate afford to depart Palmer at home? Palmer joins Foden and Bellingham in midfield, with Rice behind them?
Andrzej: Cole Palmer may very well be Harry Kane’s next successor in England. He’s so clinical when he scores. And he can rating penalties.
Josh: So Cole Palmer to England, right?
Incision: Everyone has been talking about constructing the England squad around Phil Foden… When will we start talking about constructing it around Cole Palmer, who’s doing it in a team without the quality that Man City has around him?
Credit : www.bbc.co.uk
