Cole Palmer etched his name into Chelsea history on Saturday by scoring his fourth hat trick for the club, surpassing the tallies of several Chelsea legends in a 3-1 victory over Wolves.
Tolu Arokodare managed to score a late consolation goal for the struggling Wolves, but it was Palmer’s first-half performance that secured the win for Liam Rosenior’s team.
This latest hat trick marked Palmer’s fourth in the Premier League within just three years and saw him surpass icons like Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink, Didier Drogba, and Frank Lampard, all of whom scored three hat tricks during their illustrious careers with the club.
Palmer’s goals included two successful penalties and a neatly placed shot from inside the box in the 38th minute, completing his hat trick and establishing a new club record for the former Manchester City forward.
The day was extra special for Palmer, whose hat trick was Chelsea’s third-fastest in Premier League history, taking just 38 minutes. He also holds the record for the fastest (29 minutes against Everton) and the second fastest (31 minutes against Brighton).
Additionally, he became the first player in Premier League history to achieve three hat tricks in the first half.
Palmer’s achievement also saw him move ahead of John Terry into second place for the most goals scored by an English player for Chelsea in the Premier League (44), putting him in pursuit of Frank Lampard’s impressive 147 goals.
Since joining Chelsea from Manchester City in 2023, Palmer has netted 44 goals in 84 appearances, quickly becoming a key player at Stamford Bridge.
Despite recent reports about his potential desire to return to Manchester due to homesickness, manager Liam Rosenior has responded by downplaying the rumors, stating, “It’s so unrealistic. It has come from nowhere. There’s nothing in it.”
Rosenior continued, “Cole is very happy. I’ve had multiple conversations with him. Our focus is on improving the team, as well as how he can continue to develop and how I can support him.”
“He loves being here and wants to be a Chelsea player. While speculation is inevitable, some of it is very far from reality. There’s no point discussing it.”
Information from ESPN’s Global Research contributed to this report.