Chelsea 4-3 Manchester United: Cole Palmer strikes twice in injury time to complete remarkable win

Cole Palmer scored twice deep into stoppage time to complete his hat-trick and earn Chelsea a remarkable win against Manchester United despite having previously given up a two-goal lead.

United were ahead with 99 minutes 17 seconds on the clock, the latest a side has ever led in a Premier League match they have gone on to lose.

The two late strikes capped off a breathless game that started at pace, with Blues captain Conor Gallagher slamming the hosts in front, and barely relented throughout.

Inside 20 minutes Palmer doubled the hosts’ lead from the spot after Antony fouled Marc Cucurella.

But Alejandro Garnacho sparked a United comeback when he pounced on Moises Caicedo’s poor pass across the back.

Bruno Fernandes pulled United level just five minutes later when he headed in Diogo Dalot’s cross.

Garnacho scored his second when he headed in an excellent outside-of-boot cross from Antony past goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, with what United thought was the winner.

That was before a dramatic end to the match saw Chelsea take all three points.

Substitute Noni Madueke was brought down by Dalot in the area and Palmer stepped up confidently to bring the scores level on 100 minutes.

Then in the 101st minute, Palmer picked the ball up from a short corner and his drilled shot was deflected past United goalkeeper Andre Onana to spark wild scenes in the stadium.

Palmer continues to be Chelsea’s shining light

Since signing for Chelsea in the summer for a fee of £42.5m, Palmer has hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge.

The 21-year-old has been the standout player in an inconsistent season for Chelsea and their young squad.

Palmer’s hat-trick brings his goal tally to 16 in the league – joint-second and only behind Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.

He has seven goals in his last four games for the club as he continues to be the shining light for Mauricio Pochettino.

He also has a 100% record from the penalty spot and has scored eight so far this season – such is his quality it did not feel in doubt that he would score both spot-kicks in this match.

Having made his England debut in November and been included in the most recent squad, on this form he is looking ever more likely to be included by Gareth Southgate for Euro 2024 this summer.

Stoppage time hurts United

It’s been an inconsistent season for Manchester United and this performance summed up the campaign they are having so far.

They were pounced on by Chelsea at the beginning of the match, did not seem to have an answer to the Blues’ intensity, and were lucky to not be further behind before they started their comeback.

Garnacho’s effort was rewarded with a gift when Caicedo played him in for his first and he was the furthest United player forward when he got on the end of Antony’s cross to score what looked to be the winning goal.

There are many questions for manager Erik Ten Hag to answer and the manner of this loss will bring an extra amount of scrutiny.

Ten Hag’s side faced 81 shots across their three Premier League fixtures in March, another 28 here, and the question as to why they are so easy to create chances against will continue to be asked.

It is the second time in as many matches that United have not won a Premier League game when leading in stoppage time and this result leaves them 11 points away from an unlikely Champions League place.