Cole Palmer broke a 23-year-old Chelsea record with his goal against Fulham on Boxing Day to further cement his status as a modern day Blues hero.
The Englishman scored Chelsea's only goal in a disappointing 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge, gliding past two opposition midfielders before placing the ball beautifully into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
The goal was Palmer's 12th of the season in all competitions for Enzo Maresca's side, and his 26th in the Premier League in 2024, which means he's now scored more top flight goals in a calendar year than any other player in Chelsea history.
The previous record was held by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who found the net 25 times in 2001 following his £15 million switch from Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.
Palmer's strike against the Cottagers also means he's now scored more league goals in a single year than Chelsea legends Didier Drogba and Diego Costa, who hit 21 apiece in 2010 and 2016 respectively, as well as Frank Lampard, who scored 20 in 2005.
Hasselbaink was serving as a pundit on Amazon Prime for Chelsea's defeat to Fulham, and after the game, offered his reaction to seeing Palmer breaking his record.
"I'm an old man!" said the former Netherlands international. "This has been standing for a long, long time. It's time now that it has gone. There is no better player than Palmer to do that."
Cole Palmer on Fulham defeat: "An opportunity to learn"
Chelsea's loss to Fulham was their first in the Premier League since being beaten by Liverpool at Anfield back in mid-October.
For Fulham, meanwhile, victory extended their own unbeaten run in the top flight to six games. The win was also the club's first at Stamford Bridge in 45 years.
Speaking after the match, Palmer described the defeat as tough to swallow, but said that it was a "good opportunity to learn."
"We just keep going now. We knew we weren’t going to win every single game we play. It’s the manager’s first season with us and we’re learning," he explained, before going on to reassert his belief that Chelsea can't be considered challengers for the Premier League title this season.
"Everyone has said from the start we’re not a title contender, we’re just playing, winning, getting better as a team, growing, and that’s what we’re doing," he said.
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