Cole Palmer stole the show for Chelsea as they cruised to a 4-2 victory over Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
The Seagulls took the lead through Georginio Rutter in the seventh minute before the Blues kicked into gear, with Palmer bagging a hat-trick in the space of 10 minutes. The playmaker swept his shot into an empty net to level the score before scoring a penalty and a free-kick to showcase his quality in a matter of moments.
Carlos Baleba then threw Brighton a lifeline before half-time before Palmer bagged his fourth of the afternoon to restore his side’s two-goal lead. Express Sport takes a look at five key talking points from the clash…
Record-breaking Palmer
Palmer has asserted himself as one of the best players in the league since his move from Manchester City last summer, and he highlighted his quality once more on Saturday. The playmaker became the first player to score four goals in the first half of a Premier League clash, and he could have scored more if he held his run on a few occasions. He now has three league hat-tricks to his name too, sharing a club record with Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink.
Sancho shines
Jadon Sancho has rubbed salt into Manchester United wounds since his loan move to Stamford Bridge. The winger ran riot down the left again for Chelsea, winning his side’s penalty when trying to latch onto Enzo Fernandez’s pass into the box before assisting Palmer’s fourth goal of the afternoon. Sancho has quickly regained his confidence as a Blues player and looks set to be a bargain at £23million when the buy option in his loan deal is activated at the end of the season.
Sanchez woes return
Robert Sanchez silenced his doubters earlier this season with a flurry of strong performances, but the Spaniard fuelled his criticism with two costly errors against Brighton. His decision to come for a looping ball – which Rutter scored from – raised eyebrows early on. The ex-Seagulls goalkeeper didn’t learn from his error though as he fizzed a pass into the already-marked Moises Caicedo before half time, which Baleba intercepted and tucked away to give his side a glimmer of hope.
Electric pace
When on song, Chelsea have the sheer pace and energy to hurt any team. Enzo Maresca’s side turned defence into attack in the blink of an eye, with Nicolas Jackson, Noni Madueke and Sancho all desperate to race in behind and race into the final third as quickly as possible. The Blues’ display will certainly not have gone unnoticed by their upcoming opponents, who may have to alter their respective plans to deal with the electric nature of Chelea’s front line.
