Palmer makes history as Chelsea fights back to win
Cole Palmer made Premier League history as Chelsea beat Brighton and Hove Albion 4-2 in a six-goal thriller at Stamford Bridge, Palmer netting all the Blues' goals.
Palmer became the first player to score four goals before half-time in a single Premier League game, helping Enzo Maresca’s side record its fourth straight victory in all competitions.
Brighton took an early lead through Georginio Rutter's header, but was powerless as Palmer took command of the contest.
His remarkable quadruple came in the space of 20 minutes – including a penalty and free-kick – with Carlos Baleba's strike to make it 3-2 swiftly cancelled out by Chelsea's talisman.
Nicolas Jackson and Palmer went close after the break for the hosts, who also had a Marc Cucurella goal disallowed for offside, but they held out for another victory.
The Blues climbed to within a point of Manchester City and Arsenal, while Brighton has dropped to eighth after suffering its first defeat of the season.
Palmer said he should have scored more after the match.
"I try and play every game the best I can," he said. "I should have had five or six.
"When I missed the first chance, I was upset, but with the way they played and their high line, I felt we'd get more chances.
"The manager set up a good game plan, we knew how to attack them with first-time passes in behind. Brighton are a good team, they pass the ball well. They play similar to us. Three points are what we needed, and that is what we got."
Only five other players have previously scored a quicker hat-trick in the competition, with Sadio Mane's remarkable two-minute, 56-second treble for Southampton against Aston Villa in 2015 the fastest.
Gabriel Jesus previously held the record for the quickest time to net four times in a Premier League game, doing so by the 53rd minute as Manchester City trounced Watford 5-1 in April 2022.
There were 19 minutes and 57 seconds between Palmer's first goal and his fourth, with Jermaine Defoe holding the record for the swiftest four-goal haul in Premier League history, needing 17 minutes and 56 seconds for Tottenham Hotspur against Wigan Athletic in 2009.
Things could have gone even better for Palmer, who also struck the post with a dinked effort and saw a close-range finish chalked off for offside with Chelsea 1-0 down in the first half.
Palmer has now scored three Premier League hat-tricks for Chelsea, the joint-most of any Blues player in the competition's history, level with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.
