Until their Monday night game against Everton, Chelsea had yet to truly find form in a campaign that saw them underperforming expectations. With draws to relegation candidates Sheffield United and Burnley fresh on their minds, Chelsea fans would be forgiven for showing up to the match expecting a close game with goals on both sides. What they got was a memorable 6-0 home performance that will instill more hope in the long-term project promised by the BlueCo ownership group.
Cole Palmer, the likely player of the season for the Blues, opened the scoring with a brilliant passage of play; a nutmeg combined with a one-two pass with striker Niko Jackson led to Palmer burying a beautifully curled shot to the left side of the net. The strike will undoubtedly be a contender for goal of the season.
Palmer continued his unbelievable run of form by heading in a ball that Everton keeper Jordan Pickford deflected, then lobbing a long ball over the keeper to complete the fastest perfect hat trick in Premier League history by scoring with his left foot, right foot, and head within the first 30 minutes of the match.
The Blues continued to score in style, with Jackson corralling a cross and placing it into the bottom corner of the goal just before halftime. With their lead at 4-0 at halftime, Chelsea was cruising in a way they hadn’t all season.
However, this is Chelsea. If there’s one thing the club has been known for this season, it has been chaos in one form or another in all its games. Against Everton, Chelsea found a way to bring their chaos back. After the team was awarded a penalty, there was a noticeable argument about who should take the shot between Palmer, Jackson, and Noni Madueke, the second-string penalty taker in the squad. While Palmer drilled home the penalty, the moment underlined the youngness of the team.
The night was capped off by a superb strike from Cobham product Alfie Gilchrist, who scored his first-ever goal for the club he has supported since boyhood. Gilchrist wheeled away towards the crowd, and the player's display of pure joy was the cherry on top of a dominant 6-0 win.
The Blues next face Manchester City in the FA Cup semifinal on Saturday, and will hope their last path to silverware this season remains open.
(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)