It’s getting cold out there!
Chelsea wrapped up Saturday’s win over Wolverhampton Wanderers before the referee’s whistle had even blown for half-time, thanks to two penalties and a wonderful team move — all three finished off expertly by Cole Palmer.
The three goals give the 23-year-old 51 for his Chelsea career (114 appearances) — the 41st player to reach that mark in club history — but it was his fourth hat-trick for us already, in less than three years. That means he’s now tied with Didier Drogba in number of hat-tricks for the Blues, and is just one behind the likes of Frank Lampard and Peter Osgood. And all four of Palmer’s hat-tricks have come in the league, which now gives him more Premier League hat-tricks in Chelsea history than anyone else (Didier and Super Frank both had three, as did Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink).
Another curiosity is that three of Palmer’s four hat-tricks were completed in the first-half; he’s the first to have a hat trick of first-half hat tricks in Premier League history!
So, Palmer’s undoubtedly our greatest hat-trick-getter in the modern era now, though he’s still got a ways to go to catch the four players at the top of that list in club history: Bobby Tambling and Kerry Dixon both had eight, George Hilsdon had nine (including a double hat-trick: the only player in club history to score six in a game), and Jimmy Greaves had a whopping thirteen (13), including a penta-trick (five goals) not once, not twice, but three times! Back to work, Cole!
Of course, that work has not been too kind to Cole this season, with injuries limiting his availability and ability to make an impact. It’s led to a lot of frustration, for all concerned, but hopefully the second half of the season will be kinder to him.
“I’ve never been injured before in my career. This is something new to me, and I’m still finding out how to deal with it.
“It has been frustrating, I don’t feel like I’ve played a game this season fully fit. I’ve been going into games thinking, ‘Can I do certain things? Can I not?’ Overthinking it. The staff have been really good. I’ve been working closely with the physios on a day-to-day basis. They have all helped, and I’ll get through it.
“I’m not here to make excuses, and I’ll get over the injuries. I know what I can do when I’m fit, and hopefully I can get back to that soon. For now, I just manage it and get there.”
-Cole Palmer; source: Chelsea FC
Having gone without a hat-trick in 2025, this is the 162nd in club history, scored by 80 different players.
Here are the last 20, adding to the 142 between 1905 and 2014 that are listed in Chelsea: The Complete Record. Among them is Noni Madueke’s hat-trick in this same fixture last season.
Jan 2016 — Oscar: 3 vs. MK Dons (a) 5-1 — FA Cup
Sep 2017 — Batshuayi: 3 vs. Nottingham Forest (h) 5-1 — League Cup
Sep 2017 — Morata: 3 vs. Stoke City (a) 4-0 — Premier League
Sep 2018 — Hazard: 3 vs. Cardiff City (h) 4-1 — Premier League
Oct 2018 — Loftus-Cheek: 3 vs. BATE (h) 3-1 — Europa League
Mar 2019 — Giroud: 3 vs. Dynamo Kiev (a) 5-0 — Europa League
Sep 2019 — Abraham: 3 vs. Wolves (a) 5-2 — Premier League
Oct 2019 — Pulisic: 3 vs. Burnley (a) 4-2 — Premier League
Sep 2020 — Havertz: 3 vs. Barnsley (h) 6-0 — League Cup
Dec 2020 — Giroud: 4 vs. Sevilla (a) 4-0 — Champions League
Jan 2021 — Abraham: 3 vs. Luton Town (h) 3-1 — FA Cup
Oct 2021 — Mount: 3 vs. Norwich City (h) 7-0 — Premier League
Nov 2023 — Jackson: 3 vs. Tottenham (a) 4-1 — Premier League
Apr 2024 — Palmer: 3 vs. Manchester United (h) 4-3 — Premier League
Apr 2024 — Palmer: 4 vs. Everton (h) 6-0 — Premier League
Aug 2024 — Madueke: 3 vs. Wolves (a) 6-2 — Premier League
Sep 2024 — Nkunku: 3 vs. Barrow (h) 5-0 — League Cup
Sep 2024 — Palmer: 4 vs. Brighton (h) 4-2 — Premier League
Dec 2024 — Guiu: 3 vs. Shamrock Rovers (h) 5-1 — Conference League
Feb 2026 — Palmer: 3 vs. Wolves (a) 3-1 — Premier League
Category: General Sports
