Cole Palmer made history on Sunday, breaking the Premier League record for consecutive successful penalties with his two spot-kicks in Chelsea’s thrilling 4-3 comeback win over Tottenham. Palmer’s perfect penalty streak now stands at 12, surpassing the previous record of 11 consecutive penalties held by Manchester City’s Yaya Touré. Palmer’s second penalty in the 84th minute, a cheeky Panenka chipped down the middle of the goal, sealed his place in Premier League history. “When I put the ball down and stepped back, I knew what I was going to do,” Palmer said. “I thought it was late in the game and it was a bit crazy, so I just went for it.”
Since joining Chelsea in 2023 from Manchester City, Palmer has flourished, becoming one of the best young talents in the Premier League. The 22-year-old has already contributed 50 goal involvements—33 goals and 17 assists—in just 48 league games for Chelsea, helping boost the team to second place in the table. His performance against Tottenham was exemplary, as he not only scored his two penalties but also assisted in creating one of Chelsea’s goals.
The match itself had a difficult start for Chelsea, who found themselves 2-0 down to Tottenham after just 11 minutes, thanks to defensive errors. However, Chelsea responded with calm composure, cutting the deficit to 2-1 in the 17th minute thanks to a well-taken goal by Jadon Sancho. Palmer then leveled the score in the 63rd minute with a penalty after Moisés Caicedo was fouled in the box by Yves Bissouma. Chelsea took the lead in the 73rd minute with an Enzo Fernández goal, which was set up by Palmer’s dribbling run through Tottenham’s defense. Palmer then converted his record-breaking penalty in the 84th minute to make it 4-2, just before Son Heung-min scored a late consolation goal for Spurs.
The victory puts Chelsea just four points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, although Chelsea has played one more match. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, however, downplayed any talk of a title challenge, urging his players to stay focused on daily improvements. “If you start to think about where we are in three or four games, it’s completely wrong,” Maresca said. “Enjoy the day off with the family and friends, and when we come back, go again with 100%, train well, get ready for the next game and improve day by day.”
