‘Goal’ Palmer scores four in 6-0 demolition of dismal Everton

LONDON (AP) — Cole Palmer put on an unstoppable display with a perfect first-half hat trick and a fourth in the second half as Chelsea demolished Everton 6-0 in the English Premier League on Monday.

Palmer scored with his left foot, head and right foot in the 13th, 19th and 29th minutes to become the first Chelsea player to score in seven successive home games.

“It all happens so fast,” Palmer told Sky Sports. “We started well and I scored another hat trick — buzzing. First one was my favorite, my right foot was a bit of a swinger.”

The Manchester City reject stroked home a superb first from just outside the box and nodded in the second from close range after Jordan Pickford could only parry Nicolas Jackson’s shot.

His third was a wonderful 35-yard lob after Pickford needlessly gifted him possession.

Nicolas Jackson added a fourth a minute before halftime, and Palmer made it 5-0 from the penalty spot in the 64th.

Substitute Alfie Gilchrist’s first goal for the club made it six in injury time.

Palmer’s goals took his season tally to 20 in the league, tied with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.

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The result extended a depressing few days for Everton. Just hours before kickoff, the club lodged an appeal against a two-point deduction for a second breach of the Premier League financial rules.

Everton was docked two points last week for overspending in a three-year spell up to the end of the 2022-23 season. It was a second deduction this season for Everton, which had six points removed — reduced from 10 following an appeal — for breaching spending limits from 2019-20 to the 2021-22 season.

“We’ve already agreed that’s gone, we have to get on with it,” Everton manager Sean Dyche said. “(The points deduction) is out of our control.”

Dyche described Monday as a “collective down day” and said his team was miles off the pace.

“We can’t perform like that at a place like this. The key moments when they got chances, finding the back of the net, we haven’t done that all season.”

The Liverpool club sits in 16th place, only two points and two places above the relegation zone.

After running its unbeaten streak to eight, Chelsea was in ninth place, only one point behind West Ham. Chelsea has two games in hand over the Hammers.

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