Cole Palmer was branded unstoppable by Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler after Chelsea‘s superstar became the first Premier League player in history to score four goals before half time.
Palmer’s record-breaking haul ensured Enzo Maresca‘s side won despite the mistakes they made at the back to concede twice at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking after his first loss with the Seagulls, Hurzeler said: ‘He scored four goals. He punished every individual mistake. You can’t stop him in one against one situations. We have to defend against him as a team.
‘It was like one bad event after another. We couldn’t stop it and they had one amazing player today who punished every individual mistake we did.’
Maresca was asked where Palmer’s performance ranked in the pantheon of special one-man showings and said: ‘I just said to Cole that he scored four and could have had two or three more!
Cole Palmer scored four goals, all in the first half, as Chelsea beat Brighton 4-2 on Saturday
Palmer found the Brighton net in the 21st, 28th, 31st and 41st minutes at Stamford Bridge
The 22-year-old performed his trademark goal celebration multiple times at Stamford Bridge
Enzo Maresca (left) and Fabian Hurzeler (right) both spoke highly about Palmer after the game
‘Goals, assists, best player of the Premier League, this doesn’t change the way he is. He’s a simple guy, a humble guy and this is, for me, the most important thing.
‘Today in football, young players, they change very quick. They score one goal and they think they are already… you know.
‘Cole, he’s scored many goals, many assists, he’s a top player but he never changes and this is the most important thing.’
