Cole Palmer’s amazing Chelsea stats after scoring four goals in the first half

Chelsea striker Cole Palmer has been in incredible form since joining the club from Manchester City for a fee of £40 million in 2023.

After an outstanding first season in which he scored 22 goals in 33 Premier League games, the 22-year-old signed a new contract extension until 2033 in the summer and secured a place in England’s squad for the European Championships.

Now he’s back in full swing, becoming the first PL player to score four first-half goals in Saturday’s 4-2 win over Brighton – with former Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho picking up three assists.

Palmer has scored a total of six goals in six league games this season. Here are some of his key stats.

All statistics from ESPN Stats & Information

– Palmer’s four goals against Brighton came from five shots in the first half, all on target, and he had just 21 touches of the ball.

– After scoring just six goals and two assists in 41 games in all competitions for Manchester City, Palmer now has 31 goals and 19 assists in 53 games for Chelsea.

– Palmer has 42 PL goal contributions (goals and assists) since the start of last season, tied with Man City striker Erling Haaland for the most in that span.

– He has already scored three hat-tricks in the Premier League despite only playing 39 games. Most Chelsea players in PL history have the highest value alongside Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.

– Palmer joins Lampard as the only players with multiple four-goal games for Chelsea; he also scored four goals against Everton in April, while Lampard scored four goals against Derby and Aston Villa.

– The 20-minute gap between his four goals against Brighton is the fifth fastest by a player in PL history.

– He is the fourth PL player to score four goals in a single half, but the first to do so in the first half. The others, who all scored in the second half, are:

> Jermain Defoe, 5 for Tottenham vs. Wigan in November 2009.
> Sergio Aguero, 4 for Manchester City against Leicester in February 2018.
> Aguero, 4 for Manchester City against Newcastle in October 2015.
> Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, 4 for Manchester United against Nottingham Forest in February 1999.

– Palmer has scored 10 goals from 10 penalties so far, closing in on the PL record of 15 held by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.