Palmer scores four as Blues top Brighton; Arsenal wins late vs. Leicester

BBC Sport, September 28 — Cole Palmer became the first player to score four first-half goals in a Premier League game as Chelsea swept away Brighton to go third in the table.

In a remarkably entertaining match, Palmer, 22, also hit the post and had a further goal ruled out before the break as Chelsea’s rapid frontline cashed in on Brighton’s stubborn insistence on playing a high defensive line.

Albion scored twice early on themselves as fans were treated at a sun-kissed Stamford Bridge, with both of their strikes owing something to errors from Chelsea's former Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

But, after Georginio Rutter headed the visitors ahead, Palmer took a firm grasp of the game with a stunning individual display.

The England player had hit the post and put the ball in the net from an offside position before opening the scoring from Nicolas Jackson’s pass - with all three chances coming in the space of 138 breathless seconds.

Palmer then scored his 10th consecutive successful penalty for Chelsea after the impressive Jadon Sancho was brought down, before capping a 10-minute hat-trick with a brilliant 25-yard free kick into the top corner.

A fourth for Palmer, arrowed in from a Sancho pass, came soon after Carlos Baleba had seized on Sanchez’s poor ball out to give Brighton hope.

Chelsea, who put six past Wolves last month, were again superb going forwards but Brighton's refusal to change their approach after such a flurry of identical chances was bizarre, bordering on naive as young manager Fabian Hurzeler tasted defeat for the first time.

Perhaps predictably the second half was far less incident-packed - although Palmer did waste a great chance for a fifth when he fired wide.

Peerless Palmer shows his class again

Only Didier Drogba (3), Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (3) and Frank Lampard (3) have scored as many hat-tricks for Chelsea in the Premier League as Palmer.

In another remarkable summer at Stamford Bridge which saw £200m spent and the likes of Raheem Sterling and Conor Gallagher leave, perhaps the eyebrow-raising nine-year contracts handed to Palmer and Jackson may prove to be shrewd moves.

The early weeks of the season were full of talk of chaos behind the scenes, power struggles and stockpiling, but Enzo Maresca has got his side playing sparkling, attacking football - with Palmer at the heart of it.

The former Manchester City player already has three hat-tricks in the Premier League for Chelsea - no player has scored more - and this was the second time he has scored four in a game.

He was unplayable at times, becoming the first Chelsea player to score 20 Premier League goals in a calendar year since Diego Costa plundered 21 in 2016.

Not only did he frequently test Brighton himself, twice in the second half he sent Jackson in on goal for chances the striker could have taken on another day.

And, for all the talk of having too many players, Chelsea have started to look settled. Maresca has made nine changes to his starting XIs in the league this season, four fewer than Manchester City and Newcastle and one fewer than Brighton.

As the final whistle sounded, Chelsea sat just a point off the top of the table - but Sanchez’s performance does suggest that the goalkeeping position could bear further scrutiny.

Arsenal scored twice in stoppage time to earn a dramatic victory over Leicester

A Wilfred Ndidi own goal in the 94th minute and a close-range Kai Havertz strike in the ninth minute of stoppage time denied a Foxes side who were within reach of an unlikely point at Emirates Stadium after clawing back a two-goal deficit in the second half.

Gabriel Martinelli had given the dominant Gunners a deserved first-half lead when he steered home Jurrien Timber's cross, before providing the pass for the second, converted by Leandro Trossard, on the stroke of half-time.

Leicester had managed only one touch in the Arsenal area before the break, but they reduced the arrears a little over a minute into the second half when James Justin's header from Facundo Buonanotte’s free-kick struck Havertz on its way in.

Justin doubled his personal tally in spectacular fashion shortly after the hour mark, meeting Ndidi's left-wing delivery with a swerving volley that beat David Raya via the inside of the post.

If Arsenal were momentarily stunned by Leicester's recovery, they soon recovered their poise and Mads Hermansen produced two superb saves to keep the Foxes level, denying Havertz with a point-blank stop before keeping out Trossard's shot - moments after giving the ball away inside his own area.

But Trossard's late effort was deflected past the Danish goalkeeper by Ndidi before Havertz struck from close-range to complete the scoring.

Victory lifts Arsenal level on points with Manchester City, who could be overtaken by Liverpool if they beat Wolves at Molineux in Saturday's late game.

Gunners survive almighty scare

Arsenal fans must have been scratching their heads as the game entered second-half stoppage time, as Leicester closed in on a draw that had barely seemed possible at the halfway point of the contest.

Notwithstanding a Justin shot which was blocked by Riccardo Calafiori, the first 45 minutes took place almost entirely inside the Leicester half, with Bukayo Saka and Martinelli both going close before the Brazilian's 20th-minute opener.

Calafiori stung Hermansen's palms and Havertz sent a header narrowly wide from Trossard's cross, before the Belgian - back from suspension after his dismissal against City last weekend - gave the home side a richly deserved two-goal cushion.

Justin's first of the afternoon came almost out of nothing and, buoyed by his header, the Foxes continued to venture forward and eventually restored parity through the defender's spectacular swerving strike.

Time appeared to be running out for Arteta's team, who had registered more than 30 shots - including 14 on target - and racked up 14 corners as the clock ticked past 90 minutes.

Hermansen did brilliantly to keep out goalbound efforts from Havertz and Trossard before denying Calafiori and substitute Ethan Nwaneri as the Gunners piled forward in increasing desperation.

But they were finally rewarded for their pressure and persistence with just over three of the allotted seven minutes of added time remaining, before Havertz completed the scoring with virtually the final touch of the game.