Cole Palmer became the first player in Premier League history to score four goals in the first half of a game on Saturday, as Chelsea beat Brighton 4-2 at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer netted all of Chelsea's goals in a game featuring six first-half goals and none after the break, with Georginio Rutter and Carlos Baleba on target for the visitors.
No player had ever previously scored four times in the first half of a Premier League match, while Palmer's first three goals came within a span of just nine minutes and 46 seconds.
Only five other players have previously scored a quicker hat-trick in the competition, with Sadio Mane's remarkable two-minute, 56-second treble for Southampton against Aston Villa in 2015 the fastest.
Gabriel Jesus previously held the record for the quickest time to net four times in a Premier League game, doing so by the 53rd minute as Manchester City trounced Watford 5-1 in April 2022.
There were 19 minutes and 57 seconds between Palmer's first goal and his fourth, with Jermaine Defoe holding the record for the swiftest four-goal haul in Premier League history, needing 17 minutes and 56 seconds for Tottenham versus Wigan Athletic in 2009.
Things could have gone even better for Palmer, who also struck the post with a dinked effort and saw a close-range finish chalked off for offside with Chelsea 1-0 down in the first half.
Palmer has now scored three Premier League hat-tricks for Chelsea, the joint-most of any Blues player in the competition's history, level with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard.
Silva delighted with Jimenez form as Fulham's good run continues
Fulham boss Marco Silva is delighted to see Raul Jimenez back to his best, after his 50th Premier League goal gave them all three points against Nottingham Forest.
The Mexican has struggled for regular goals since a serious head injury he suffered playing for Wolves against Arsenal in November 2020.
But Jimenez, who joined Fulham in July 2023, has started this season superbly and has now scored three goals in three successive matches, and he proved the difference against Forest with a well-dispatched penalty.
Silva told BBC Sport: “It's great to see him back at that level again after that bad incident when he was at Wolves. It was tough for him to come back.
"In an important moment of his career, when he was struggling for goals, we showed trust in him, and believed in him. He got used to scoring before the incident but we trusted him.
“From the first moment at this club he showed his hard work and his quality. It's nice to see him score and be decisive for us."
Silva also revealed that Jimenez had apologised for taking the ball off designated penalty taker Andreas Pereira prior to scoring from the spot.
He told Premier League Productions: “Pereira was the penalty taker for the moment. It is not Andreas' fault but it is clearly the fault of Raul.
"It is already decided. It is already sorted. It is not going to happen again. Has Raul apologised? Yes. He had to because he knows the rules and how important discipline is in our squad."
Jimenez is now just four goals away from Javier Hernandez's record as the most prolific Mexican player in Premier League history.
He said: "Yes, why not break records and set new ones. He [Hernandez] was a very good player in English football and now it's my time and I want to keep scoring.
“The most important thing is the three points. It's early in the season, and we have a long way to go, but being there is good for us. We want to make history for Fulham and know we can achieve more."
Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo admitted his side were not at their best, though they still had chances to get back into the match, as they fell to their first defeat of the season.
“Not the best game from us,” Nuno said to BBC Sport. “But we still created near the end and had opportunities to score, we have to bounce back in the next one.
“I’m disappointed for the fans – we are sad, but we have to go again.”
Nuno refused to be drawn on the penalty decision, with VAR intervening after an infringement between Murillo and Pereira, replays showing the defender scraped his studs along the latter’s calf.
He said: “If we start speaking about the referees, I don’t know if it’s the best thing. I hope they improve. I don’t want to go much further than that.”
Palmer acknowledges 'I should have had five or six' despite record-breaking quadruple
Cole Palmer said "I should have had five or six" goals, despite his history-making quadruple during Chelsea's victory over Brighton.
The Blues forward became the first player to score four goals before half-time in a single Premier League game, as the hosts came from behind to prevail 4-2 at Stamford Bridge.
Palmer took his tally for the season to six for Enzo Maresca's side, who climbed to third place and within a point of Manchester City and Arsenal.
Although, the England man was a little disappointed not to add to his haul, having also hit the post, been denied by the offside flag, and sending a decent second-half opportunity wide.
"I try and play every game the best I can," he told Match of the Day. "I should have had five or six!
"When I missed the first chance, I was upset, but with the way they played and their high line, I felt we'd get more chances.
"The manager set up a good game plan, we knew how to attack them with first-time passes in behind. Brighton are a good team, they pass the ball well. They play similar to us. Three points are what we needed, and that is what we got."
Palmer also addressed comparisons made by former Arsenal and England forward Theo Walcott between him and ex-Gunner, Dennis Bergkamp.
"I know he is a legend in the Premier League, but I didn't really watch him, I was too young," he added. "I have seen clips. He was a top player, so thank you, Theo!"
Maresca hopes Palmer can maintain his impressive performance levels, while also revealing his belief that Chelsea are "ahead of my expectations" after stretching their winning streak to four matches.
"I told [Cole] he could have scored two or three more," the Blues boss said. "He is a top player and just has to continue in the same way.
"A very good win, we could have done better in some moments of the game, but overall, we deserved to win.
"The two goals we conceded can happen. The important thing is the team continues in the same way, creating many chances. We are happy.
"I was more focused on the way the team progressed rather than results. We are ahead of my expectations in the way we want to play."
Arteta lauds 'unbelievable' Arsenal mentality in Leicester win
Mikel Arteta labelled his Arsenal side as "unbelievable" after the Gunners left it late to snatch all three points against Leicester City at the Emirates.
A dominant first-half display was rewarded with goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, only for the visitors to turn the encounter on its head after the break.
James Justin's deflected header halved the deficit after the break, before the Foxes full-back struck a stunning volley that crashed in off the post.
But Arteta's side eventually prevailed in second-half stoppage time, with Wilfried Ndidi's own-goal and Kai Havertz's fortuitous effort sealing a memorable victory.
Despite squandering their early advantage, the Gunners head coach showered praise on his players as preparations now turn to the Champions League on Tuesday.
"I'm very happy with the performance," he said. "I think we were unbelievable today. We deserved to win with many more goals.
"Starting the second half the way we did, conceding the first goal made things harder and then, with the equaliser, the team showed unbelievable character to keep pushing, creating chance after chance.
"We suffered more than we should have, but this is football. [I am] really happy with the team."
Arsenal were made to work for their victory after registering 36 shots, their joint-most on record (since 2003-04) in a single Premier League game.
But Ndidi’s own goal was the 16th 90th-minute winning own-goal scored in Premier League history, with Arsenal benefitting from five of these - more than any other side.
However, the Gunners' display showed the winning mentality instilled in them since Arteta's appointment, something he highlighted as a standout from the victory.
"We felt it should have been many more, and it wasn't, and suddenly it is 2-2, but we had to deal with a very good team with difficult circumstances, and we stayed really composed," he said.
"We had a lot of clarity, understanding what we had to do, and we kept doing what we had to do, and we earned the right to win it."
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