Cole Palmer made Premier League history by becoming the first player to net four goals in the first half of a match, leading Chelsea to a thrilling victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, who suffered their first league defeat of the season.The match began with a flurry of action, as Chelsea endured an early setback. A miscommunication in defense saw former Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sánchez misjudge a high ball, allowing Georginio Rutter to head into an open net. Palmer, however, was at the heart of Chelsea’s response, striking the post and seeing a goal ruled offside before capitalizing on a mistake by Adam Webster to score his first Stamford Bridge goal of the season. Brighton’s high defensive line left them vulnerable, and Chelsea seized the opportunity when Jadon Sancho, after having a goal disallowed for offside, won a penalty after being fouled by Carlos Baleba. Palmer confidently converted from the spot for his 10th Premier League penalty goal for the club.Palmer is equalizer 1-1pic.twitter.com/bXdxuFE3Ps— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) September 28, 2024 Palmer was far from done. Just 10 minutes after his first, he completed his hat-trick with a stunning long-range free-kick. Brighton hit back, though, taking advantage of another Sánchez error as Baleba intercepted a poor pass and slotted home to reduce the deficit. Despite the error, Sánchez redeemed himself by making two crucial saves to deny Baleba before Noni Madueke nearly added a fourth for Chelsea. The home side soon regained their two-goal cushion, as Palmer pounced on another defensive lapse to score his fourth with a quick snapshot.This angle of Cole Palmer’s free kickPoetry in motion 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/w6jJrWypoy— TLV (@TheLampardView) September 28, 2024 Palmer show continues 4-2pic.twitter.com/WLSnRGWuck— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) September 28, 2024 Though Chelsea had only 36% possession in the first half, they dominated after the break, continuing to pile pressure on Brighton. Nicolas Jackson came close to scoring after rounding Bart Verbruggen, only for his shot to be cleared off the line by Webster. Palmer could have added a fifth, sending a dipping volley over the bar and narrowly missing with another effort. A quieter spell followed before Jackson again missed a golden chance to score.No player has scored more Premier League hat-tricks for Chelsea than Cole Palmer. ◎ 3 – Didier Drogba ◎ 3 – Frank Lampard ◎ 3 – Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink ◉ 3 – Cole Palmer He’s only made 39 league appearances for the club. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Lk738sZryn— Squawka (@Squawka) September 28, 2024 Marc Cucurella, a former Brighton defender, thought he had added his name to the scoresheet from a corner, but his goal was disallowed for offside. Jackson’s struggles in front of goal were a theme of the second half, but Chelsea managed to see out the game comfortably despite the missed opportunities. The win lifts Chelsea to third in the Premier League standings, just one point behind leaders Manchester City. Brighton, meanwhile, drop to eighth, as their unbeaten run comes to a close, having won only two of their last 16 Premier League away games (six draws, eight losses).Meanwhile, Leandro Trossard’s tricky cross in the 94th minute resulted in a winner as Arsenal fended off a determined Leicester City comeback to secure a 4-2 victory at the Emirates Stadium, extending their unbeaten home streak against newly-promoted sides to 40 matches (35 wins, five draws).Soaring Magpies hold out for a draw against pale CityzensEager to shake off the disappointment of last weekend’s late equalizer against Manchester City, Arsenal came out of the blocks with intent. Bukayo Saka forced a sharp save from Mads Hermansen early on, while Gabriel Martinelli wasted a chance, firing over from inside the area. The breakthrough finally came in the 20th minute when Jurrien Timber delivered a perfect cross that Martinelli slotted into the bottom corner for his first goal of the campaign.Arsenal’s dominance continued as Hermansen denied further efforts from Martinelli, and Kai Havertz squandered a close-range opportunity. However, the Gunners doubled their advantage just before halftime, with Martinelli turning provider, cutting the ball back for Trossard to place his shot into the far corner.⚽️GOAL🏴 | Arsenal 2-0 Leicester City | Trossardpic.twitter.com/4korwkNPdL— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) September 28, 2024 Leicester came out fighting in the second half and stunned Arsenal just two minutes after the restart. James Justin connected with a Facundo Buonanotte free-kick, heading past David Raya to reduce the deficit. Arsenal almost restored their two-goal lead immediately, but Hermansen came up with back-to-back saves to deny Gabriel and Trossard. Buoyed by those stops, Leicester found an equalizer in the 63rd minute when Justin fired a superb volley from Wilfred Ndidi’s cross, sending the away fans into a frenzy.⚽️GOAL🏴 | Arsenal 2-1 Leicester City | James Justinpic.twitter.com/FYNTXbcfSi— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) September 28, 2024 ⚽️GOAL🏴 | Arsenal 2-2 Leicester City | Justinpic.twitter.com/aYvkAaptRK— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) September 28, 2024 With title rivals Manchester City dropping points earlier in the day, Arsenal pressed hard for a winner as the clock ticked down. Hermansen continued his heroic display with impressive saves from Havertz and Trossard, but in the fourth minute of added time, Trossard’s back-post effort took a deflection and crossed the line, securing a crucial victory for the Gunners. Havertz then added a late goal with a fortunate close-range finish, sealing the win and bringing Arsenal level on points with Pep Guardiola’s side at the top of the Premier League.⚽️GOAL🏴 | Arsenal 3-2 Leicester City | TrossardTrossard gives the life!pic.twitter.com/iO58lk9fB2— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) September 28, 2024 Kai Havertz lucky goal 4-2pic.twitter.com/HLpVq2N1oL— Goals Xtra (@GoalsXtra) September 28, 2024 PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 6SaturdayNewcastle – Man.City 1-1 (0-1)/Gordon 58 pen – Gvardiol 35/Arsenal – Leicester 4-2 (2-0)/Martinelli 20, Trossard 45+2, Ndidi 90+4, Havertz 90+10 – Justin 47, 63/Brentford – West Ham 1-1 (1-0)/Mbeumo 1 – Soucek 54/Chelsea – Brighton 4-2 (4-2)/Palmer 21, 28 pen, 31, 40 – Rutter 7, Baleba 34/Everton – Crystal Palace 2-1 (0-1)/McNeil 47, 54 – Guehi 10/Nott.Forest – Fulham 0-1 (0-0)/Jimenez 51 pen/19:30: (7.75) Wolverhampton (4.80) Liverpool (1.40)Sunday16:00: (4.40) Ipswich (3.50) Aston Villa (1.85)18:30: (2.35) Man.Utd. (3.60) Tottenham (2.85)Monday22:00: (1.65) Bournemouth (3.80) Southampton (5.40)***odds are subject to change***
