Chelsea beat Manchester United 4-3 on Thursday, with Cole Palmer bagging a hat-trick
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Chelsea star Cole Palmer bagged a hat-trick against Manchester United on Thursday night, and customarily got his team-mates to sign the ball.
One player, though, decided against writing words of gratitude or even positivity, instead opting for a cheeky message that became apparent as Palmer posed in the dressing room after the game.
Holding three fingers up on his right hand to signify his hat-trick against Manchester United, the Chelsea winger held the signed match ball in his left.
The message on Palmer's match ball (Image credit: Getty Images)
Though upside down in the original picture, it's clear that one of Palmer's team-mates simply wrote "shit player" on the ball, followed by their signature. It's unclear, however, who left the comment in jest, with Chelsea fans trying their best to find the culprit.
Palmer's two penalties and last-minute winner against Manchester United now moves him onto 16 Premier League goals for the season, and just two behind Golden Boot race leader Erling Haaland.
"It was a crazy game," Palmer told Chelsea's website after the 4-3 game. "To go from 2-0 up to 3-2 down was a bit of a blow, but when we scored in the 98th minute we knew there were two more minutes – we saw the gaffer say it. I looked over when I scored. We thought, let’s go for it.
Palmer's Chelsea team-mates celebrate (Image credit: Getty Images)
"I didn’t know what to do when I scored, but I was buzzing. My first hat-trick. It’s my first one and I’m really happy about it. It was madness at the end."
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While Chelsea currently sit tenth in the league, Palmer has been a standout performer for the Blues this term. His performances have often dragged Chelsea to three points in games, with England manager Gareth Southgate also recognising his form with a call-up to the national team.
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
