Cole Palmer Shines in Chelsea's Victory Over Fulham
Cole Palmer has started the new campaign exactly where he left off – at the centre of everything Chelsea do well.
The 22-year-old has been voted Player of the Matchweek for Matchweek 1 after a dominant performance in Chelsea’s breathless 3-2 win over Fulham in the west London derby at Craven Cottage.
This wasn’t just a tidy display from the Blues’ creator-in-chief. Palmer ripped through Fulham’s structure from the opening minutes. He set the tone early, threading the pass that led to Joao Pedro’s opener, stamping his authority on a fixture that rarely gives players time to breathe.
The pressure kept building. Every Chelsea attack seemed to funnel through him, every dangerous moment carrying his fingerprints. At the start of the second half, Palmer delivered the decisive blow, scoring what proved to be the winner to tilt a wild contest Chelsea’s way.
The numbers underline what the eyes already told Stamford Bridge supporters last season: when Palmer is on the pitch, Chelsea have a star who takes responsibility.
- He attempted five shots – more than any of his team-mates.
- He took nine touches inside the Fulham penalty area – again, the most of any Chelsea player.
- He won 10 duels, a figure that speaks to his work without the ball as much as his flair with it.
- He recovered possession seven times, leading the team in that category as well.
Every key metric, Palmer sat at the top for Chelsea.
Fans recognised it instantly. In the public vote, Palmer claimed 40 per cent, comfortably clear of Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, who finished second on 22 per cent. The margin reflected not just one goal and one assist, but a complete, commanding display in a high-tempo derby.
This is Palmer’s first Player of the Matchweek award of the new season, and his first since Matchweek 25 of last term, when he hit a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Same award. Same swagger. A new season that already looks like it might belong to him again.
