By Our Sports Desk at Molineux
HE CAME, he saw, he conquered—and then he took the match ball home before the half-time oranges had even been sliced.
Cole Palmer turned Molineux into his own personal playground yesterday, smashing a sensational 25-minute hat-trick to fire Chelsea to a 3-1 victory and leave rock-bottom Wolves howling in despair.
On a day where the “Ice Man” didn’t just cool the heat of the Premier League battle—he froze it solid—Palmer became the first player in history to bag three first-half hat-tricks in the division.
The drama began after just 12 minutes when the ever-dangerous Joao Pedro was tripped by a clumsy Matt Doherty. Palmer stepped up with the nonchalance of a man buying a Sunday paper, sending Jose Sa the wrong way to open the floodgates.
Wolves, rooted to the foot of the table and looking every bit like a side destined for the drop, gifted Chelsea a second on 35 minutes.
This time, Yerson Mosquera was the culprit, shoving Pedro inside the box. Palmer didn’t blink, ruthlessly dispatching his second penalty of the afternoon.
History Maker
But the best was saved for last.
Just three minutes later, a slick Chelsea move involving Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella saw the latter pull back a perfect cross. Palmer, ghosting into the area with his trademark timing, lashed the ball into the roof of the net to complete his treble and etch his name into the record books.
Wolves did find a flicker of life in the second half when Tolu Arokodare bundled home from close range in the 54th minute, but it was a mere consolation.
Chelsea, under the steady hand of Liam Rosenior, shifted through the gears to see out their fourth successive win.
The result leaves Chelsea within a whisker of the top four, while Wolves remain seven points adrift at the bottom, staring into the Championship abyss.
PALM SUNDAY: Cole’s historic treble leaves Wolves in the doghouse
WOLVES AT THE DOOR: Clinical Palmer hits three to keep Chelsea’s top-four dream alive
HAT-TRICK HERO: Ice-cold Cole freezes out Wolves in Molineux masterclass
FIRST-HALF FIREWORKS: Record-breaker Palmer puts woeful Wolves to the sword.
