“I’ve taken many penalties. People say he just scores penalties, but I’m not going to miss a penalty, am I? Touch wood.”
The words of Cole Palmer after he took – and scored – his seventh and eighth penalties of the Premier League season for Chelsea in their dramatic 4-3 victory over Manchester United last week. The 21-year-old, who signed for the Blues for £42.5million from Manchester City on deadline day last summer, has been an absolute revelation since making the move.
Palmer’s assist for Noni Madueke in the second-half of Sunday’s draw with Sheffield United means the England international has now directly contributed to 32 goals this season in all competitions for Chelsea – with 19 goals and 13 assists since moving to Stamford Bridge. Eight of those 19 goals have been from the penalty spot, with Palmer boasting a 100% record from 12 yards.
With eight goals from the spot, Palmer has now overtaken Jorginho’s highest-ever tally for the club in the Premier League. The Italian midfielder, now playing for Arsenal, scored seven times from the penalty spot in Chelsea’s 2020/21 season.
Palmer has doubled Chelsea legend Eden Hazard’s highest-ever amount of penalty goals in a single Premier League season. Hazard scored four times from 12 yards in two separate campaigns for the Blues (2013/14 and 2018/19. But Palmer is still a bit off Frank Lampard.
Lampard netted a staggering 10 times from penalties in the 2009/10 season for the Blues. But with Chelsea still having eight games remaining of their Premier League season, there is every opportunity for Palmer to at least equal Lampard’s tally.
And with the rate Chelsea have been getting penalties this season – with the Blues having 11 awarded to them in their 30 matches played – you would not put it past Palmer. The Blues have scored 10 of their 11 spot-kicks this term, with their only miss being from Enzo Fernandez in the second game of the season; a defeat at West Ham United, where Alphonse Areola saved from the Argentine.
Why do Chelsea get so many penalties? Blues head coach Mauricio Pochettino seems to have an idea: “The quality is the idea, the philosophy, it is always thinking to go forward to create chances. We are in the top-four in the Premier League for creating big chances. It is about the philosophy.
“We can see different clubs, they play to try to get goals or chances through set-pieces. But we are Chelsea. We are a big club. At a big club, it is about philosophy to play football, good football, exciting football in the opposition’s half to create chances. That is why.
“It is about ideas, philosophy, how we taste football. That is why, our attempts in the last third, there are a lot. That is why often we get penalties. That is a good quality of the team.”
Palmer will be hoping to add to his tally – whether that is from the penalty spot or not – against Everton in less than a week. And he will not care one bit whether it is from 12 yards, despite some bizarre criticism of his penalty total this season.
