Cole Palmer’s hat-trick stuns Manchester United

Cole Palmer scored a sensational hat-trick as Chelsea struck twice in the final minutes of stoppage time to beat Manchester United 4-3 at Stamford Bridge.

United were 3-2 up and seemingly home and dry when Noni Madueke was felled by Diogo Dalot in the seventh minute of added time. Palmer scored from the penalty spot to seemingly rescue a point – but a stunning finale awaited.

The former Manchester City player – a United fan as a youngster – was given space inside the box and lashed it beyond Andre Onana with virtually the final kick, with the aid of a slight deflection off United’s Scott McTominay.

Their side had looked like running away with the Premier League contest in the first period, Conor Gallagher and Palmer from the penalty spot putting them into a 2-0 lead inside 20 minutes.

But a horrendous error from Moises Caicedo gifted United a way back, Alejandro Garnacho netting his first before Bruno Fernandes nodded unmarked past Djordje Petrovic to level before the break.

A breathless second half could have seen either side win it, and Garnacho looked to have done it for United when he headed in a brilliant cross from Antony midway through the half.

Then came scarcely believable drama at the end, with Palmer’s double sparking joyous scenes among home supporters.

Chelsea had looked irresistible for much of the first half and raced into a deserved lead.

First, Enzo Fernandez scooped a delicious ball into the right channel for the overlapping Malo Gusto. His low cutback pinged off the heel of Raphael Varane, spinning favourably into the path of Gallagher whose first-time drive slithered beneath Onana’s outstretched hand and into the net.

The second goal came from a similarly neat move down the other flank, this time Marc Cucurella feeding Mykhailo Mudryk who bolted onto it and flicked the ball back inside to Cucurella. Across to challenge came Antony, felling the Chelsea defender with an artless trip. Palmer dinked his penalty into the bottom corner with consummate ease.

United struggled with the pace and directness of Chelsea’s transitions but the hosts’ control of the game was punctured on 34 minutes.

Caicedo sensed Antony lurking on his shoulder and played a hurried, careless ball square that sold Benoit Badiashile short. Garnacho was onto it like a flash, tearing clear of the hapless Chelsea pair and slotting past Petrovic.

Onana pushed out Fernandez’s low hit and had to be bailed out by Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who shovelled the rebound away from Mykhailo Mudryk as Chelsea quickly resumed their assault.

But the goal had swung the game towards United and they were soon level. Antony swept the ball wide to Garnacho, who stood up Cucurella and knocked it back for Diogo Dalot. His cross whizzed across the box to Fernandes, arriving unmarked at the far post, to wipe out Chelsea’s lead.

Gallagher rattled the post when set up by Palmer late in the half, though they were clearly stunned by United’s rapid double and looked grateful to go in level at the break.

The second half was a gung-ho battle between defence and attack. At times, the midfield simply vanished as both sides ripped into each other, and by the hour mark either could have led, Fernandes and Palmer with the clearest chances lashed over as the game hummed with energy, coaxing a winner.

It looked to have arrived from Garnacho. Antony’s cross, whipped with the outside of his left boot, was elegant and pinpoint. Chelsea had two defenders back but neither tracked the run of Garnacho, who stooped bravely to reach the ball before Petrovic and guide it into the corner. The United fans, including new Kansas City Chiefs recruit Louis Rees-Zammit, were delighted.

It looked like staying that way until the final minute of stoppage time, when Palmer’s dramatic double sealed an astonishing turnaround.
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£64m Man Utd and Arsenal striker target 'prefers' different move
Man Utd & Arsenal both interested in Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee
Serie A heavyweights AC Milan ready to make opening offer for 22-year-old
Former Bayern Munichs striker Zirkzee open to switch to San Siro

By Sean Walsh
Apr 5, 2024
Zirkzee has been linked with various clubs
Zirkzee has been linked with various clubs / Alessandro Sabattini/GettyImages
Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee would 'prefer' to stay in Serie A and is open to joining Milan, with the Rossoneri set to make an opening bid for the Arsenal and Manchester United target, reports in Italy claim.

Zirkzee is enjoying a fine season with Bologna, registering ten goals and four assists in 28 Serie A games so far. The Rossoblu, who are managed by former Barcelona and Inter midfielder Thiago Motta, are on course to secure Champions League qualification for the first time in the club's history.

90min revealed in January that the Dutchman's performances hadn't gone unnoticed among Europe's elite, with Arsenal and United among the clubs monitoring his development.

However, Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport report Milan have made Zirkzee their top striker target and are ready to offer €50m (£43m) plus Alexis Saelemaekers, who is currently on loan at Bologna, in order to attain him.

Bologna will hold out for a higher fee and are already looking at the €75m (£64m) paid up front by United to sign Rasmus Hojlund from fellow Serie A side Atalanta last summer as a comparable yardstick.

Rasmus Hojlund
Bologna believe Zirkzee is worth as much as Hojlund / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
Though Zirkzee would gladly head to San Siro, Milan do not want to pay that high a price for a new young forward, particularly given they paid a similarly substantial sum to sign Charles De Ketelaere in 2022.

Bayern Munich, where Zirkzee came through the academy and made 17 senior appearances before his 2022 sale to Bologna, are also considering signing the striker, but he has 'no great intention' to return to the Allianz Arena, where he would play second-fiddle to Harry Kane.

Gazzetta do, however, add Arsenal and United remain in the race and point out the riches of Premier League clubs could make Milan's task of signing Zirkzee that much more difficult if Bologna essentially made it an auction.

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Bad habits & basketball: Chelsea defeat could spell the end for Ten Hag at Man Utd
Man Utd embarrassingly crumbled 4-3 to Chelsea on Thursday night
Champions League qualification now looks out of reach
Erik ten Hag's team consistently show the same poor traits and he could suffer for it with his job

By Scott Saunders
Apr 5, 2024
Erik ten Hag is running out of time and excuses
Erik ten Hag is running out of time and excuses / Marc Atkins/GettyImages
FROM STAMFORD BRIDGE - As the saying goes, old habits die hard.

Manchester United have a long list of bad habits. And in one of the craziest, most unserious and out of control Premier League matches we've ever witnessed on Thursday night at Stamford Bridge, we got to see them all.

Chelsea, for the billions spent, have a multitude of problems of their own, and even after snatching victory from the jaws of defeat on the night still sit tenth in standings. Perhaps Europe is possible. But Cole Palmer's beyond-added-time double ensured the spotlight and scrutiny sat again on the brow of United's increasingly beleaguered manager Erik ten Hag.

United have lost 17 games in a season for the first time since 1989/90. There will be more before it ends and you'd fancy table-topping Liverpool to increase the number on Sunday. If they do, the pressure will become unbearable.

The closing weeks of the season were a proving ground for the Dutchman to show he should assume another season leading the team under new sporting control. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford were spotted in attendance at Stamford Bridge. And while he is not their guy there has been strong enough a case for much of his time at United that he should be given a chance to work in a fresh, cohesive structure instead of the chaos he walked into.

Jarred Gillett, Harry Maguire
United conceded two soft penalties...but also 28 shots / Shaun Botterill/GettyImages
United went into the last international break on a high of beating Liverpool in the FA Cup, but the two matches since have seen deep into injury time goals costing them five league points and likely a Champions League place. These goals because of lapses in concentration, weak mentality, inability to defend set pieces and a non-existent midfield leading to Ten Hag's team allowing the most shots against in Europe's top 5 leagues in 2024.

Whether it's Ten Hag's players failing him or his own shortcomings, perhaps a mix of both (it's probably that) we see so many alarmingly poor traits still as evident and obvious in match round 30 as they were on the opening Monday night of the season against Wolves.

Ralf Rangnick called performances Jekyll and Hyde. Nowadays, we either see United dominated by inferior opposition (see Brentford) or playing basketball on a football pitch (see Chelsea, plus other examples).

Ten Hag called for his players to make better decisions under pressure in the aftermath of defeat in west London but Ten Hag's tactical plan appears so frequently frantic and lacking in control that it's easy to see why players make poor choices.

A miracle was needed the last time Liverpool visited Old Trafford, and Ten Hag got one. A miracle is needed again on Sunday but it's difficult to see Liverpool being so forgiving this time around, or making the same mistakes twice. You can't say the same about United, who refuse to stop making them.

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