- Palmer scored four goals in first half against Brighton & Hove Albion
- Visitors put two past the Blues but unable to stop England star
- X reacts to first half drama at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea brought excitement, drama and goals as they flew to a 4-2 lead over Brighton & Hove Albion in the first half of Saturday's clash.
No one could criticise the vibes over in west London as Cole Palmer scored four goals in 20 minutes to set the Blues up with a lead as they looked to take all three points from their battle with the Seagulls.
But it wasn't just a one-sided race at Stamford Bridge as both sides fought on through the opening 45 minutes.
The action swung the way of the visitors in the opening seven minutes as Georginio Rutter fired a header into the back of the net to give Brighton an early lead following a mistake from Robert Sanchez.
Brighton ahead, terrible mix-up by Chelsea
— Sean Walsh (@SeanDZWalsh) September 28, 2024
GEORGINIO RUTTER SCORES A HEADER TO GIVE BRIGHTON THE LEAD AGAINST CHELSEA 🔥
— Rising Ballers (@RisingBallers_) September 28, 2024
Joined Brighton from Leeds this summer and gets his first goal of the season against Chelsea 🙌 pic.twitter.com/GYlxngo81Q
1-0 Brighton. Dreadful defending from Chelsea. Georginio Rutter with his first goal for the club.
— CFC_LIL (@cfc_lil) September 28, 2024
Chelsea, not pleased with the thought of trailing, sprung into action, opening up the flood gates for Palmer. His first of four first-half goals came after an assist from Nicolas Jackson.
Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho and Nicholas Jackson are leading Chelsea to a title charge pic.twitter.com/V8Ib5U4HgT
— 𝐭𝐠𝐦. (@TGM_007) September 28, 2024
Cole Palmer x Jackson >>>>> Son x Harry Kane
— Sir Lomo 🇬🇧 (@_DrLomo) September 28, 2024
Haaland didn't deliver on this Week FPL? No worries... I've got Cole Palmer and Jackson in my FPL 🥶 pic.twitter.com/1OP1VM7m10
— W E E N⏳✨ (@PapiiWeen) September 28, 2024
Within seven minutes, the England international had netted a penalty to give his side the edge. Then, he scored a direct free kick - literally minutes after his second goal.
So Cole Palmer really scored a free kick goal before Mbappe😭 pic.twitter.com/HhE4lGvkLQ
— 𝕄𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕪𝕓𝕖𝕫𝕠𝕤💙❤ (@Mickeybezos_jnr) September 28, 2024
Good grief! Cole Palmer is going mad here. Not satisfied with his quickfire brace he curls home a brilliant 30-yard free-kick to give himself a first-half hat-trick and Chelsea a 3-1 lead. What a player! pic.twitter.com/XdMpNPGSBN
— USETVL (@USETVL) September 28, 2024
Absolutely Nobody:
— DesmundOris (@Desmund_Oris) September 28, 2024
Cole Palmer scoring a penalty, free kick and two open play goal in one game. pic.twitter.com/QXP1w2TvFM
4 goals in 20 mins with 2 others called offsides. And a ridiculous free kick. Cole Palmer is a monster
— Silvio Dante (@spiderman1289) September 28, 2024
Brighton earned one back after a shot from Carlos Baleba, although his efforts didn't silence Chelsea for long...
This Cameroon Carlos Baleba might be another Brighton project for 100m
— Remy (@Remy5913) September 28, 2024
Thought three was enough? Oh no, Palmer netted yet again before the break, this time following an assist from new boy Jadon Sancho. As well as breaking Brighton fans' hearts everywhere, he became the first player to score four goals in an opening half.
Cole Palmer makes the record of been the first player to ever score 4 goals before half time. Incredible performance🔥🔥🔥 #CHEBHA
— FCBmamba (@bankole_bis) September 28, 2024
#CHEBHA
Cole Palmer 4 goals in the first half pic.twitter.com/ph8ED8bwXZ
— toye (@JegedeToye) September 28, 2024
Cole Palmer in 1 match has more goals (4) than Jude Bellingham and Vinicius (3) combined 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/JmqWjCiYGY
— FCBGavi (@tculer4) September 28, 2024
Mate I need a breather, Cole Palmer has just scored 4 in 40 mins… I am speechless! #CFC #CHEBRI
— Dan (@MrDanCFC) September 28, 2024
Chelsea led 4-2 heading into the break, with those in attendance almost struggling to comprehend what was going on.
