Cole Palmer Standing on Pitch
Image by Mikolaj Barbanell / Shutterstock.com

Rollercoaster Week for Cole Palmer Sees Hat-Trick Records Broken and Miss of the Season Contender

Football is a sport of highs and lows: what’s that old saying about ‘one day you’re the cock of the walk, the next a feather duster?’

Heroes can become zeroes in the blink of an eye… and vice versa, by all accounts.

You won’t find many, if any, Chelsea fans with a bad word to say about Cole Palmer. But in truth, they would have been cursing the England international when he missed an absolute sitter in a key game against Leeds United in February – that stoppage time aberration costing the Blues a fifth straight Premier League victory.

Depending on whose data you use, Palmer’s miss came with an xG of either 0.87 or 0.91… either way, the maestro had around a 90% chance of scoring when the ball fell his way.

And, as such, it has to go down as one of the worst misses in Chelsea’s recent history – and perhaps in the Premier League’s 34 years, too.

Still, at least the week started brighter for Palmer. His hat-trick against Wolves broke all sorts of records…

Who Has Scored the Most Hat-Tricks for Chelsea?

At the time of writing, a pair of Chelsea legends have scored five hat-tricks for the club in all competitions during the modern era: Peter Osgood and Frank Lampard.

Player Chelsea Appearances Chelsea Hat-Tricks
Frank Lampard 429 5
Peter Osgood 289 5
Cole Palmer 85 4
Didier Drogba 254 4
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 177 3

Osgood, of course, was the mercurial striker who scored 103 goals in all for Chelsea – his ‘exotic’ lifestyle off the pitch perhaps preventing him from winning more than four caps for England on it. He is and will always be remembered as a Blues legend.

In a sense, Lampard’s achievements are even more extraordinary. The fact that he was able to score five hat-tricks for Chelsea, despite playing in midfield, is a testament to his desire to get into the penalty area and his eye for goal.

Lamps remains as Chelsea’s all-time record goalscorer with 211… a mark that may never be beaten.

A pair of players have scored four hat-tricks for the club: Didier Drogba and Cole Palmer.

Palmer, at the age of 23, clearly has time on his side. If he remains at Chelsea until his contract ends in 2033, he will surely level – or surpass – the current milestone held jointly by Osgood and Lampard.

Others can lay claim to scoring more hat-tricks for Chelsea – from Jimmy Greaves to Bobby Tambling, but in the contemporary era its Osgood and Lampard that lead the way.

It’s worth noting too that Palmer has now scored more Premier League hat-tricks than any other Blues player.

Cole Palmer’s Chelsea Hat-Tricks

Date Opponent Goals Scored
4/4/24 Manchester United 3
15/4/24 Everton 4
28/9/24 Brighton 4
7/2/26 Wolves 3

All of his quartet of trebles have come in EPL action, with his latest hat-trick against Wolves meaning that he’s now one clear of Lampard, Drogba and Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink in that regard.

How many more records will tumble in Palmer’s time at Stamford Bridge?

What is the Worst Miss in Premier League History?

You could argue that everyone’s idea of what constitutes the worst miss in Premier League history is subjective – opinions differ.

But if you use xG as a guide, then Palmer’s skied effort from two yards has to be right up there with the biggest clangers since the EPL underwent its rebrand in 1992.

However, it’s not – if we are using xG – the worst miss in history… although Palmer does actually feature with another open goal spurned for the Blues (sorry Cole).

Erling Haaland, one of the deadliest finishers in world football, actually missed a 0.93 xG chance while playing for Manchester City against their bitter rivals United in March 2024 – the Norwegian volleying over from barely two yards in an uncharacteristic show of profligacy.

A month later, Chelsea were the recipients of a remarkable open goal missed by Everton’s Beto – a 0.95 xG chance, no less. The Blues won that game 6-0 in April 2024… ironically with Palmer notching four times.

But it’s Palmer next up with a 0.96 xG miss – a reminder that that equates to a goalscoring opportunity with a 96% likelihood of ending up in the back of the net.

It’s a bit harsh, perhaps, given that Micky van de Ven’s goal-line clearance flew towards him. Palmer, two yards out and in the middle of the goal, was unable to sort his feet out and his shot ballooned over – at least Chelsea won that clash with Spurs 2-0 in May 2024.

A special place has to be reserved for the ‘best’ miss in Premier League history. Aston Villa’s Diego Carlos somehow managed to miss a gilt-edged chance against Liverpool that recorded an xG of 0.99 – or a 99% probability opportunity, if you prefer.

The Brazilian somehow managed to put his shot wide from a yard out… leaving many a football fan, even those of decidedly average playing ability, scratching their heads as to how Carlos missed.