LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) Cole Palmer secured a draw for Chelsea with a stoppage-time penalty against his former team, Manchester City, in an exhilarating Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge.
In this eight-goal classic, Palmer, who switched from his childhood club to Chelsea in the summer, calmly converted the penalty, equalizing the score and salvaging a point for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, which had fallen behind three times during the intense match.
Despite Rodri’s deflected strike seemingly putting Manchester City 4-3 ahead in the 86th minute and on track for victory, Palmer’s late penalty, earned after Ruben Dias fouled substitute Armando Broja, added a dramatic twist to the game.
The match had earlier erupted when Erling Haaland scored the opening goal from the penalty spot, capitalizing on a controversial VAR decision that deemed Marc Cucurella to have fouled the Norwegian.
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Chelsea responded fiercely to the perceived injustice, with goals from Thiago Silva and Raheem Sterling (playing against his former club) putting them in the lead.
However, Manuel Akanji’s header brought City level just before halftime.
Haaland secured his second and City’s third shortly after the restart, and the thrilling back-and-forth continued.
Jackson tucked in a loose ball for Chelsea’s third goal, and the two teams exchanged goals again, first through Rodri and then Palmer, concluding a sensational spectacle.
The draw sees City move one point ahead of Arsenal and Liverpool at the top of the table.
Meanwhile, Chelsea, coming off another classic against Tottenham just five days prior, climbs to 10th place with aspirations of greater achievements in the future.
