Cole Palmer wants penalty pressure after inspiring unlikely Chelsea comeback win
Cole Palmer insists he wants the responsibility of scoring penalties after he netted a hat-trick in Chelsea’s 4-3 thrilling victory over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer’s stunning season continued as he took his league tally to 16 goals on the night. After he scored from the spot on 19 minutes, he converted another spot-kick in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time after Diogo Dalot brought down Noni Madueke.
Palmer completed his treble just a minute later with a deflected strike off Scott McTominay following a short corner to seal a dramatic win in west London.
The 21-year-old, who joined from Manchester City for a reported fee of £42.5 million last summer, wants to maintain his 100 per cent record from 12 yards.
“I’ve had a few penalties this season and when they’re in front of me, I just want to continue to try and score them,” he told Chelsea’s official club website.
“I want to keep my focus and strike the ball clean.”
The late turnaround has seen Chelsea close the gap on teams above them in their bid for European football next season.
Palmer said he and his team-mates were spurred on to grab another goal after their added-time equaliser.
“It was a crazy game,” he added. “To go from 2-0 up to 3-2 down was a bit of a blow, but when we scored in the 98th minute we knew there were two more minutes – we saw the gaffer say it. I looked over when I scored. We thought ‘let’s go for it’.
“I didn’t know what to do when I scored, but I was buzzing. My first hat-trick. It’s my first one and I’m really happy about it. It was madness at the end.”
Chelsea were held to a 2-2 draw by 10-man Burnley last week and Palmer talked up the importance of responding with victory against the Red Devils.
“After last week we needed to come and get three points,” he added. “And to do it this way was probably the best way to do it.
“It’s a big win and it’s a massive momentum boost for the fans and the team. It’s put everyone in a good mood.”
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Erik ten Hag claims Man Utd 'deserved' to beat Chelsea despite inexplicable collapse
Man Utd lost 4-3 at Chelsea in chaotic match on Thursday night
Cole Palmer scored in 100th and 101st minutes to swing game back to Blues after Red Devils came from two goals down
Erik ten Hag was pleased with how his side played at Stamford Bridge
By Sean Walsh
Apr 5, 2024
Man Utd somehow lost against Chelsea
Man Utd somehow lost against Chelsea / James Gill - Danehouse/GettyImages
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag claimed his side deserved to end Thursday's 4-3 defeat at Chelsea as winners.
The Red Devils battled well to come back from an early two-goal deficit, with an Alejandro Garnacho double and one from Bruno Fernandes putting the visitors 3-2 up heading into the closing stages.
However, United unravelled all their hard work when Diogo Dalot conceded a stoppage-time penalty, with Cole Palmer slotted home from the spot. Almost immediately from the resulting kick-off, Palmer scored a 101st-minute winner.
United had similarly led deep into second-half added time before succumbing to a 1-1 draw at Brentford last Saturday and dropped points in an equally inconceivable manner down the road at Chelsea this time around.
Speaking to TNT Sports post-match, Ten Hag insisted United were dominant and were deserving of all three points.
Cole Palmer, Axel Disasi
Palmer swung the game the way of Chelsea / Robin Jones/GettyImages
"Yes we started poor, kicking the ball away and defending poorly," Ten Hag began. "But you saw we were dominating the game and it was brilliant how we played - we deserved to win the game. But, you cannot give it away like we did and we have to manage this game better.
"It is a team performance, you can point to one of the players but it's about a team performance.
"When it gets chaotic you have to deal with it as a team and we made the wrong decisions and we didn't help out as a team. Out of possession we made bad decision - a lack of concentration.
"Also, I think lucky at the end with the penalty situation, questionable and very soft but we have to do better."
Ten Hag: Dropping points is unacceptable
Erik ten Hag embraces Alejandro Garnacho after substituting the Argentine against Chelsea
United had taken the lead thanks to Garnacho's brace / Marc Atkins/GettyImages
Speaking later to BBC Sport, Ten Hag continued to highlight's dominance of the game but admitted that the number of points dropped is "unacceptable" for a team of United's calibre.
"It was for the neutral an amazing game. A fantastic football game with a lot of quality," the Dutchman remarked. "Manchester United dominated the game but we made individual errors that cost us the game.
"We have to learn from it. When you are a Man Utd player you should already know how to deal with this circumstance.
"I enjoyed how my team were playing, it was fantastic. We dominated the ball, we dominated the opponent.
"In five days we dropped five points. That is unacceptable. We should have a high standard if we want to compete for Champions League football.
"I don't know [if top four is gone]. I have to see again the ranking. Points will be more expensive. It's very disappointing we're doing this and making the wrong decisions. We gave away a game we should have won."
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Premier League Team of the Week: Midweek Round 31
FotMob - April 5, 2024, 9:30 AM
Manchester City dominate the FotMob Team of the Week after their 4-1 demolition of Aston Villa during the mid-week round of fixtures. The champions have four players in the XI while a former old boy also makes the cut. But who else joins the quartet, and why?
By Sam McGuire, Premier League expert
Goalkeeper: Mark Flekken
The Dutchman was a busy man in the 0-0 draw with Brighton. Flekken made six saves as he kept a first clean sheet for Brentford since February. The 30-year-old faced shots with an Expected Goals total of 0.84 and made three saves from shots originating from inside the penalty area. He played his part in the Bees picking up a very important point in their quest to avoid the drop.
Right-Back: Joel Veltman
Veltman put in a dominant display defensively as Brighton limited their hosts Brentford to feeding off of scraps in the 0-0 draw on Wednesday evening. The 32-year-old full-back won four of his five tackles and 12 of his 13 duels. In the air, he was faultless, finishing the game with a 100% success rate. He was also fairly handy in possession, finding a teammate with 75% of his attempted passes. A good, solid, all-round showing.
Centre-Back: Rúben Dias
Dias put in a captain’s performance for the champions against Aston Villa. Defensively, he was formidable, winning 80% of his tackles, recovering the ball 10 times, making two interceptions and coming out on top in 100% of his duels. On the ball, he was just as impressive, completing 94% of his 102 attempted passes. He also made nine passes into the final third.
Centre-Back: Manuel Akanji
Akanji was another to really impress for City in the win over the Villans. The former BVB man completed 99% of his passes while also creating a chance. He won all of his tackles, recovered the ball on six occasions, and triumphed in four of his six duels. The 28-year-old is proving to be a consistent, reliable performer for the champions.
Left-Back: Igor
The versatile defender put in a monstrous performance for Brighton against Brentford. The 26-year-old finished the game with a pass success rate of 99%, he was accurate with 100% of his long passes and finished the game having completed 100% of his attempted dribbles. The Brazilian recovered the ball on seven occasions and won five of his six duels on his way to a deserved FotMob rating of 8.0.
Midfield: Cole Palmer
Another game, another eye-catching Palmer performance. The Chelsea midfielder was the match-winner in the game against Manchester United as he netted a hat-trick to take his haul for the season to 16. He kept his cool from the spot twice, including a stoppage-time equaliser, before rifling in a 101st-minute winner, albeit with a slice of luck. The 21-year-old sensation also carved out eight chances in the 4-3 win for Mauricio Pochettino’s men, earning himself a 9.8.
Midfield: Rodri
Rodri is practically an ever-present in the Team of the Week at this stage. He’s probably the most important player for Manchester City and he claimed a goal and an assist in the big win over Aston Villa on Wednesday evening. The Spain international also recovered the ball on 10 occasions as he bossed things in the middle third.
Midfield: Phil Foden
Foden was at his fantastic best for Manchester City in the 4-1 win over Aston Villa. The versatile midfielder notched a hat-trick as he stepped up to be the main man in the absence of Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland. The 23-year-old also created three chances and finished the game with a 93% pass success rate, as well as attempting seven dribbles. He was a whirlwind for the hosts and a genuine difference-maker. He now has 21 goal involvements in the Premier League this season.
Attack: Chris Wood
The 32-year-old now has three goals in three games for Nottingham Forest and this coincides with Nuno Espírito Santo’s men picking up five points. Wood fired in the second of the game for Forest in the 3-1 win over Fulham on Wednesday evening with his only effort of the game. He did, however, create three chances against Marco Silva’s side in what turned out to be a dominant display by the hosts.
Attack: Cody Gakpo
Gakpo was only on the pitch for 17 minutes but he made quite the impression for Liverpool. The Dutchman scored the third goal with one of his four efforts. He also created three chances for the Reds during this cameo while completing two of his three dribbles and winning four of his nine duels. It felt like a statement showing after some criticism levelled his way over recent weeks.
Attack: Luis Díaz
Diaz was a threat throughout for the Reds in their 3-1 win over Sheffield United. The No. 7 finished with a fortunate assist but it was one his performance deserved. He carved out six chances for teammates and finished the game with a 91% pass success rate. The 27-year-old also attempted the second-highest number of dribbles (four) for the Premier League leaders.
(Images from IMAGO)
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