Impossible not to call Palmer top player – Mauricio Pochettino
Mauricio Pochettino is convinced that Cole Palmer has demonstrated his caliber as a “top player” following his hat-trick, which played a crucial role in Chelsea’s thrilling victory over Manchester United.
The 21-year-old netted his final two goals during stoppage time, with the winning goal being the latest ever scored in Premier League history, coming at 100 minutes and 39 seconds.
Palmer now joins a group of four players with 16 goals in the Premier League this season, trailing Erling Haaland by just two goals in the race for the Golden Boot.
Upon his signing for Chelsea on deadline day for a fee of £42.5 million, some questioned the amount, but in retrospect, it appears to be a bargain.
“One of the best skills is his mentality and his capacity to deal with the pressure.” Pochettino said.
“He’s young and I think it’s his first season playing very consistently. I think it’s amazing how he is dealing with the pressure. That is all that can be a very good player.
“With the performance today it’s impossible to say that he’s not a top player.”
Palmer’s exceptional performance has earned him a senior England debut this season and positioned him as a contender for a spot in Gareth Southgate’s final squad for the upcoming Euros this summer.
With six goals in his last four Premier League appearances and two assists during that period, he remains the standout player in the Chelsea team.
“The impact is amazing. He is doing a fantastic job, it is difficult to talk more about him. Today he showed the mentality and the quality,” Pochettino said.
“I said ‘Cole, two minutes more and to believe’.”
Palmer’s hat-trick is his first in senior football, while only Yaya Toure (11) and Dimitar Berbatov (nine) have taken more penalties in the league and scored every one than Palmer’s eight so far this season.
“Crazy game. When we scored in the 98th minute I thought ‘let’s go for it’. Madness,” Palmer said.
“I didn’t know what to do. I was running round when I scored. A hat-trick is a hat-trick. It was my first one, I’m really happy about it.
“I had a few penalties this season. I’m just going to continue to try to score them. If I get penalties, I’m going to try to score, I’m not going to try to miss.
“When we scored he [Pochettino] said ‘two minutes, come on’. He’s always trying to drive us on. We went for it and thankfully we scored.
“It’s a big winner. It’s a massive momentum booster. It puts everyone in a good mood. Hopefully we can kick on.”
Chelsea play bottom of the table Sheffield United away on Sunday as they look to try to push up the table to reach the European spots.