Cole Palmer became the Premier League’s top scorer this season, and his four goals helped Chelsea beat hapless Everton 6-0 at Stamford Bridge.
The former Manchester City man now has 20 goals for the campaign and almost single-handedly dismantled Sean Dyche’s side, scoring a hat-trick throughout the first 29 minutes to give real momentum to his side’s bid to qualify for Europe.
The first half was as successful as Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea showed a clinical dominance in front of goal that made the lackluster attacking spells of the start of the season look like a distant memory.
It was also a person evening. Moises Caicedo, playing in central midfield, delivered a performance filled with cunning and maturity; Rarely has he looked so commanding in Chelsea colours.
Nicolas Jackson, who scored the fourth goal, and Mykhailo Mudryk performed brilliantly, further tipping the scales of their favor after a slow start to their careers in blue.
Then there was Palmer, Chelsea’s talisman, who’s now actually a contender for the Golden Boot along with his former Manchester City team-mate Erling Haaland.
It wasn’t an ideal 90 minutes and Pochettino still has problems to solve. When his team was awarded a penalty within the second half with the rating at 4-0, there was the unsavory spectacle of a physical altercation as Jackson and Noni Madueke tried to wrest the ball from designated catcher Palmer. It indicated an absence of discipline and leadership that the manager actually needs to address.
But it couldn’t spoil a very good evening for the house fans in west London, which was aptly ended when academy graduate Alfie Gilchrist scored his first goal for the club in stoppage time.
Chelsea began the match lazily, narrowly avoiding conceding after nine minutes when Beto shot past goal from four yards.
As has often happened this season, it took Palmer’s intervention to get them going. Receiving the ball deep from Malo Gusto, he openly annoyed Jarrad Branthwaite, played one-two with Jackson after which curled the ball past Jordan Pickford’s dive for his first goal of a remarkable first half.
Soon the flood gates were opened. After 17 minutes, Jackson played Mudryk on the left side and, after receiving the ball from the Ukrainian, he fired the primary shot. Pickford cleared the ball, but only to the feet of the oncoming Palmer, who grabbed his second.
His 3-0 scoreline was excellent, but the chance got here as a present from Pickford. The England goalkeeper tried to pick Amadou Onana, but his pass was not enough. He pinched Palmer and, undeterred by the 45-yard distance to goal, put the ball into the web and scored a hat-trick.
Jackson scored four goals before the break, showing off his superb touch to lift Marc Cucurella’s cross into the air before turning and directing the ball beyond the keeper’s reach into the corner.
The 22-year-old has shown significant improvement in recent weeks and his thirteenth goal of the season was actually his best for Chelsea to this point.
Palmer argued with Jackson and Madueke to make it five from the penalty spot just after the hour mark, before Gilchrist hit the underside corner after Pickford’s save on the death with Chelsea three points away from the highest six.
Credit : www.independent.co.uk
