Chelsea’s Boxing Day ended in huge disappointment after losing to local rivals Fulham, but Cole Palmer created yet another piece of history during the match.
Chelsea surrendered a lead in yesterday’s 2-1 defeat at home to Fulham in the Premier League. Incidentally, it’s the first time that Fulham have won a game at Stamford Bridge since 1979.
As a result, the Blues stay second in the division table after the festive results. However, runaway leaders Liverpool are now seven points clear in the one-sided title race, plus they’ve played a game less.
Cole Palmer, 22, did score a sensational goal in what turned out to be a losing cause. He dribbled past a couple of Fulham players before a cultured finish that he passed into the bottom corner.
Palmer admitted Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said little after the Fulham defeat, so it’ll be interesting to see how they respond away to Ipswich Town next week in their final game of 2024.
- READ MORE: Chelsea fans have started comparing Cole Palmer to a former legend after his goal vs Fulham
Cole Palmer breaks Chelsea record
Palmer’s superb strike against Fulham was his 26th Premier League goal of 2024, which is now the most any Chelsea player has managed in a calendar year.
Many supporters may have expected Chelsea legends Didier Drogba or Frank Lampard to hold the previous record. It was former Blues striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink that held the record for 25 Premier League goals in 2001, though.
Martin Keown previously called Chelsea’s Palmer “special”, which is a fitting way to describe what he’s doing on a weekly basis for the Blues.
With 12 goals in 18 league appearances this season, Palmer should definitely have his eyes set on going past the 20-goal barrier for two consecutive campaigns. Not only is he scoring so frequently, but there’s also such style about so many of his goals.
The England star has the individual quality to get into any starting XI in world football right now. Thankfully, Palmer is ‘very unlikely’ to leave Chelsea amid Real Madrid interest.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink reacts as Cole Palmer breaks his record
Hasselbaink was on the punditry team yesterday for Chelsea versus Fulham on Amazon Prime Video Sport. He delivered a great response after seeing his calendar record broken.
When reacting to Palmer breaking his Chelsea record, Hasselbaink said: “I’m an old man. This has been standing for a long, long time. It’s time now that it has gone. There is no better player than Palmer to do that.”
If Palmer stays at Chelsea for a long time, he’s likely to break many more individual records with the way he’s going.
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