Hat-trick hero Palmer fires Chelsea to last-gasp win over Man Utd

Hat-trick hero Cole Palmer scored twice deep into stoppage time on Thursday as Chelsea stunned Manchester United 4-3, all but ending United’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

Erik ten Hag’s men appeared set for a famous victory after storming back from 2-0 down to lead 3-2 in a staggering game containing a combined 47 shots.

But boyhood United fan Palmer turned the game on its head, levelling from the penalty spot in the 100th minute and then netting the winner moments later in a frantic end to the game at Stamford Bridge.

United were still ahead at 99 minutes 17 seconds, the latest a side has ever led in a Premier League match they have gone on to lose.

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The bitter defeat leaves sixth-placed United 11 points off fourth-placed Aston Villa with just eight games to play and facing a season outside Europe’s elite club competition.

But it lifts Mauricio Pochettino’s side to 10th spot in the table, keeping them in the hunt for a European place after an inconsistent season.

Pochettino said his team had started well but the way they conceded “affected the team in an emotional way”.

The Argentine, in his first season at Stamford Bridge, praised 21-year-old Palmer, who has been the club’s standout player since he joined in September.

“The impact is amazing,” he told the BBC. “He is doing a fantastic job. It is difficult to talk more about him. Today he showed the mentality and the quality.

“I said ‘Cole, two minutes more and to believe’.”