2. Palmer Gets His Revenge
Once again, the temperature has dropped. ❄️#CFC | #CarabaoCup pic.twitter.com/SED7T6RBmT
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 23, 2024
Having missed three big chances against Middlesborough in the first leg, Palmer admitted that those misses were playing in the back of his mind ahead of this game. However, It speaks to the 21-year-old's mentality that he did not let it impact his performance in any way.
Palmer's brace now takes his season's tally up to 11 goals, which is more than any Chelsea Men's player managed in the entire 2022/23 season. To say that he has revolutionised Chelsea's attack is an understatement. He is without a doubt the most effective signing of the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital era, and the numbers back it up.
Palmer now has 20 goals and assists in all competitions this season, two of which came for Manchester City before his move to Chelsea. Only Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins has racked up more goal contributions than Palmer among players playing in the Premier League.
The England International was a nuisance to Middlesborough all evening. His intelligent pressing was on full display as he forced several opposition players into mistakes, one of which even led to his first goal. On the ball, Palmer was his usual calm, composed and creative self. He completed the joint most dribbles (2) and created the joint most chances (2), one of which should have resulted in an assist for Disasi. It was no surprise that at full time, he picked up yet another Player of the Match award.