Four important lessons we learned from Chelsea’s brilliant 4-3 win against Man Utd
A Cole Palmer hat-trick gave Chelsea a spectacular 4-3 win against Manchester United on Thursday night.
Conor Gallagher and a Palmer penalty saw Chelsea race into an early lead at Stamford Bridge, before Manchester United mounted an unlikely comeback.
Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes levelled the game before the break, before the Argentine forward looked to have won it after heading in from Antony’s stupendous assist.
But as the match headed into deep stoppage time, the Blues were given another spot-kick and Palmer once again scored to salvage a point, before the England star struck again just 82 seconds later to secure all three for the home side.
It will go down as one of the wildest games in Premier League history and here are four things we learnt from the epic encounter:
Chelsea lost their bottle, then found it again
2-0 after 19 minutes, there was surely no way Chelsea would fail to win the game. And yet the ‘billion-pound bottle jobs’ appeared to find a way.
Moises Caicedo – the most expensive player in British football – has scarcely lived up to his price tag, giving which sparked the Blues’ collapse.
A 3-2 defeat would have left Mauricio Pochettino’s job hanging by a thread, but two very, very late goals from Palmer saw them steal the three points back.
Can this kind of result spur Chelsea on? Well, there have been several false dawns already this season but there is plenty for them to be proud of and learn from this encounter as they prepare for the challenge of Sheffield United on Sunday.
Cole Palmer sets new Premier League record
Palmer bagged his first career hat-trick as his magnificent maiden season in west London continued.
The 21-year-old has now scored 19 goals and made 12 assists in 37 games, with his 90+11 minute strike the latest winning goal in Premier League history.
‘When the eight minutes got added on it gave us a lift – madness,’ Palmer told TNT Sports post-match.
‘We need to try to win as many games as possible. To win like that, there is nothing better.
‘We thought when we scored the second goal the fans lifted us and I saw the gaffer say there were two minutes left and thankfully I scored.
‘You know I have taken many penalties, I am not going to miss a penalty, touch wood. To score on the last minute is crazy.’
Antony proved his worth… eventually
When the line-ups were announced, eyebrows were raised when Marcus Rashford was dropped to the bench in favour of Antony.
Erik ten Hag explained he was just resting the England forward ahead of the huge clash against Liverpool on Sunday, but Antony’s performance may force him into a re-think.
The Brazil winger was one of United’s best players at the Bridge, though his night didn’t get off to the best start, as he gave away a penalty by fouling Marc Cucurella, allowing Chelsea to double their lead.
But he continued to work hard and eventually he set up what appeared to be Alejandro Garnacho’s winner with what could be the assist of the season, whipping in a sublime ball with the outside of his boot.
It may be only his second assist of the campaign, and his first in the Premier League, but it was (mostly) worth the wait.
Erik ten Hag’s injury crisis goes from bad to worse
Ahead of the match, United were dealt yet more worrying news from the treatment room when it was announced that Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof would miss the next month through injury.
But at least Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans were back in action. Well, they were for a little bit.
Varane was subbed off at the break having clearly been in some discomfort in the first-half, with Evans taking his place. But the veteran defender was forced to come off just 21 minutes later with a problem of his own.
Willy Kambwala was subbed on, but the 19-year-old and Maguire appear to be the only centre-backs left for Ten Hag to pick from, and with left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia still sidelined, one has to wonder what United’s medical team have been up to this season.
