Cole Palmer broke a Premier League record as well as a club record for Chelsea with his hat-trick against Wolves.
It would be safe to say that Cole Palmer has looked like a shadow of his best self for most of this season. He has continued to deal with fitness issues, going back to the previous campaign, and that has clearly taken a toll on the Englishman.
It might not just be the physical side of the game either. At times, he has looked short of confidence as well.
There are many who believe that Enzo Maresca was never able to get the best out of Palmer in his system. Now, it is up to Liam Rosenior to help the Englishman rediscover his magic.
At his best, he is Chelsea's most important player by quite some distance. We have seen that in a couple of finals already, whether it be his two goals and one assist in the Club World Cup final against PSG or the dual assists against Real Betis in the Conference League finale.
So, Palmer needed a bit of a confidence boost, and he might have gotten exactly that in this weekend's match against Wolves.
Palmer completed a hat-trick inside 38 minutes. The first two came from the penalty spot as he sent the goalkeeper the wrong way on both occasions. Joao Pedro had won both spot-kicks and deserves his fair share of the credit.
Then he completed his hat-trick with a thumping finish into the roof of the net after Marc Cucurella had made a brilliant run into the box and then cut it back to Palmer.
In the process, the Englishman also created some history. According to Squawka, Palmer has now scored more Premier League hat-tricks (4) for Chelsea than any other player in history.
That is not all though. According to OptaJoe, Palmer is the first player in Premier League history to score three hat-tricks in the first half of a match. The previous two had come against Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion, respectively.
Of course, this is just one game. The best thing that could come out of this is if it helps Palmer rediscover his form and confidence. If Chelsea is to end this season on a high note, they need him to be at his best.
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