Cole Palmer scored two stoppage-time goals as his hat-trick dented Manchester United's Premier League top-four hopes in a chaotic 4-3 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer converted a penalty 10 minutes into added time before his deflected strike a minute later salvaged a stunning and unlikely last-gasp win that left sixth-placed United 11 points adrift of Aston Villa in fourth.
Alejandro Garnacho had earlier scored twice, along with a goal for Bruno Fernandes before the break, to help United fight back from two goals down to lead 3-2 on Thursday.
Yet Palmer, who scored a first-half penalty after Conor Gallagher's early opener, proved the late hero to lift Mauricio Pochettino's side to 10th and just five points behind the Red Devils.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
37 | +20 | 68 |
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
37 | +10 | 63 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
37 | +13 | 60 |
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
37 | +21 | 57 |
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
37 | -3 | 57 |
| 9 |
West Ham
WHU
|
37 | -12 | 52 |
| 10 |
Brighton
BHA
|
37 | -5 | 48 |
How the match unfolded
Malo Gusto's deflected pass teed up the fourth-minute opener as Gallagher arrowed a right-footed strike under the unsighted Andre Onana from near the penalty spot.
Mykhailo Mudryk curled wide soon after before Antony – in the starting XI for Marcus Rashford – clumsily felled the onrushing Marc Cucurella for a Chelsea penalty.
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The in-form Palmer had little trouble from 12 yards, stroking low into the bottom-right corner for his 14th league goal this season – but United responded in emphatic fashion.
Moises Caicedo's inexplicable pass allowed Garnacho to coolly slide past Djordje Petrovic before Diogo Dalot's left-wing cross found Fernandes, who headed into the bottom-left corner to restore parity.
There was still time for another first-half chance, though, as Gallagher smashed against the right-hand post from Palmer's offload.
End-to-end chaos continued after the interval as Onana repelled a fizzing Nicolas Jackson attempt and Palmer's whipped effort, but it was United who hit the front after 67 minutes.
Chelsea had no answer to Antony's outside-of-the-boot delivery as Garnacho sneaked in to loop a header past the incoming Petrovic – yet more drama would follow.
Dalot needlessly felled substitute Noni Madueke for a stoppage-time penalty, which Palmer coolly sent into the bottom-left corner again, before the Chelsea midfielder's strike deflected off Scott McTominay only 81 seconds later to secure a remarkable victory.
A boyhood Man United fan scoring a hat-trick and a 101st-minute winner 🤩
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 4, 2024
WHAT. A. GAME. pic.twitter.com/RYyZsptE69
Having led with 99 minutes and 17 seconds on the clock, it's the latest a side have EVER been leading a Premier League match they've gone on to lose.
It's the second time in five days that United have dropped points in stoppage time, after Kristoffer Ajer's goal in the ninth minute of added time against Brentford.
There were 88 shots in the two matches between Chelsea and Man Utd this season, the most in a Premier League fixture since Leicester City v Queens Park Rangers in 2014/15.
Club reports
Chelsea report | Man Utd report
