Palmer scores four as Chelsea hit Everton for six
Cole Palmer scored four goals to put Chelsea within touching distance of the Premier League's top six after a 6-0 win over Everton on Monday. The England international has been a shining light in an otherwise disappointing campaign for the Blues and moved level with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland's 20 Premier League goals in the race for the Golden Boot. Despite an eight-game unbeaten Premier League run, Chelsea remain in ninth but are now just three points adrift of sixth-placed Newcastle with a game in hand to come. A demoralising defeat leaves Everton still perilously placed just two points above the relegation zone. The visitors were dealt a blow before kick-off as Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed out due to a hamstring injury. His deputy Beto spurned a glorious chance to open the scoring when he somehow turned over Seamus Coleman's cross from point-blank range. Palmer was not so forgiving at the other end as he made another case to be crowned as the Premier League's player of the year. Palmer nutmegged Jarrad Branthwaite before exchanging a neat one-two with Jackson and curling home from the edge of the box to open the scoring. With Enzo Fernandez absent due to injury, Pochettino flanked Palmer and Jackson with Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk for the first time in his starting line-up. Everton failed to live with the sharpness of the front four and Palmer was left with an easy task to head in his second after Jordan Pickford denied Jackson from a Mudryk cross. The England goalkeeper then had a moment to forget as he gifted possession to Palmer, who nonchalantly chipped his international teammate on his weaker right foot from midway inside the Everton half. In contrast to Palmer, Jackson has had an inconsistent first season at Chelsea but produced an excellent touch and finish to fire in his 13th goal of the season on the stroke of half-time. Palmer then converted a penalty on the hour mark to make it nine out of nine successful spot-kicks this season to take his tally for the season in both Chelsea and City colours to 25. Academy graduate Alfie Gilchrist had only been on the field a matter of seconds when he blasted in the sixth after Pickford parried Ben Chilwell's effort. (AFP)