Cole Palmer compared to Tottenham, Chelsea icons in remarkable praise, as Pochettino told star has ‘saved his job’

Two pundits have lauded Cole Palmer after he came to the rescue for Chelsea yet again on Thursday night, netting a hat-trick to help Mauricio Pochettino’s side beat Manchester United in a seven-goal thriller.

Chelsea took an early lead when Conor Gallagher finished on his right foot after a Malo Gusto cross had deflected off Raphael Varane. Palmer doubled Chelsea’s advantage in the 19th minute by calmly converting a spot-kick after Antony had fouled Marc Cucurella in the box.

However, Man Utd got back into the match in the 34th minute when Alejandro Garnacho pounced on an error from Moises Caicedo and proceeded to beat goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.

Man Utd were level before half time, as Bruno Fernandes headed in at the back post from a Diogo Dalot cross, with Chelsea’s marking absolutely atrocious.

Erik ten Hag’s men left the Stamford Bridge crowd shocked in the 67th minute when Antony set up Garnacho for a simple header by sending a wicked delivery into the box.

Man Utd came incredibly close to picking up all three points, but instead it was Chelsea who completed the most unlikely of comebacks.

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Palmer made it 3-3 from the penalty spot in the 10th minute of injury time following a Dalot foul on Noni Madueke. The deadly winger then sent the Chelsea fans wild by smashing in a left-footed drive past Andre Onana, with the help of a deflection off Scott McTominay.

While it was far from a complete performance from Chelsea, this is the kind of result that Pochettino has been craving to try and win over the club’s fans.

Cole Palmer likened to Gareth Bale

Reacting to the game on talkSPORT, ex-Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara said that Palmer has ‘saved his [Pochettino’s] job’.

O’Hara went on to compare the English attacker with former Spurs, Real Madrid and Wales star Gareth Bale.

“It reminds me, watching him tonight, Pochettino with Cole Palmer at the end, and the way Cole Palmer goes over to him, gives him a hug,” he added.

“It almost reminds me of when Gareth Bale was at Tottenham and Gareth Bale basically single-handedly carried that team.

“It reminds me of that a little bit, that’s where I think this Cole Palmer can get to, that’s the level he’s at.”

Former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant was appearing alongside O’Hara on the radio station, and he said:  “He’s your Eden Hazard. He’s an Eden Hazard of the past.”

Palmer clearly has a long way to go to match the achievements of those two iconic wingers. However, he is already a firm favourite at Chelsea.

Despite their spending of over £1billion under Todd Boehly, it is £42.5m Palmer who has certified himself as the heartbeat of the team.

Everything that Chelsea do well goes through him, and the 21-year-old has the stats to back it up, too. His record now stands at an incredible 21 goals and 12 assists from 39 appearances this term.

Palmer will be hoping to add to his tally when Chelsea travel to relegation-threatened Sheffield United on Sunday evening.

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