Cole Palmer's brilliant performance in Monday's 6-0 win over Everton not only took him level with Erling Haaland in the race for the Castrol Golden Boot, it also gave him a Premier League record.
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Palmer scored his first goal with a brilliant left-footed finish in the 13th minute, then headed in at close range in the 18th minute, before sending a right-footed lob over Jordan Pickford in the 29th minute.
His "perfect hat-trick" - which was followed by a second-half penalty - was the earliest ever in a Premier League match.
Perfect hat-trick. ✅#CFC | #CheEve pic.twitter.com/rR7NGZKYG7
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 16, 2024
It beat a record that had stood for over 29 years, after Tommy Johnson scored with his left foot, right foot and head in the opening 38 minutes for Aston Villa against Wimbledon in February 1995.
Earliest 'perfect hat-tricks' in Premier League
| Date | Player | Club | Opp. | Time of third goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15/04/24 | Cole Palmer | CHE | EVE | 29min |
| 11/02/95 | Tommy Johnson | AVL | WIM | 38min |
| 31/08/22 | Erling Haaland | MCI | NFO | 38min |
| 04/10/20 | Ollie Watkins | AVL | LIV | 39min |
| 16/01/99 | Robbie Fowler | LIV | SOU | 47min |
Overall, Palmer's hat-trick was only the sixth-earliest in Premier League history.
Indeed, the record-holder Sadio Mane scored his hat-trick for Southampton against Aston Villa in 2014/15 in almost HALF the time.
Earliest hat-tricks in Premier League
| Date | Player | Club | Opp. | Time of 3rd goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16/05/15 | Sadio Mane | SOU | AVL | 16min |
| 25/02/01 | Dwight Yorke | MUN | ARS | 22min |
| 11/05/22 | Kevin De Bruyne | MCI | WOL | 24min |
| 07/05/03 | Jermaine Pennant | ARS | SOU | 26min |
| 22/02/97 | Ian Marshall | LEI | DER | 27min |
| 15/04/24 | Cole Palmer | CHE | EVE | 29min |
There were just 16 minutes and four seconds between Palmer's first and third goals against Everton. But he was nowhere near the record for the quickest ever hat-trick.
In fact, there have been 34 trebles scored in a shorter period of time.
Again, Mane holds the record here for his hat-trick against Villa in 2014/15.
His goals came in the 13th, 14th and 16th minutes, with a total gap of two minutes and 56 seconds.