Chelsea: Carney Chukwuemeka hails 'world class' Cole Palmer with Blues on course for successful season

Cole Palmer is already “world class” and can help fire Chelsea to both FA Cup glory and into Europe, according to Carney Chukwuemeka.

The 21-year-old forward has been lauded for his sensational hat-trick in the 4-3 win over Manchester United on Thursday, which included two late goals deep into second-half stoppage time and the latest winning goal ever recorded in a Premier League match.

Chelsea have climbed to 10th in the Premier League but have games in hand over United, West Ham, Brighton, and Newcastle in the battle to qualify for either the Europa League or Conference League.

Asked about Palmer’s impact, Chukwuemeka said: “Credit to Cole - a top player, world-class player - and credit to the lads for sticking in there, and Noni [Madueke] for making a monumental impact off the bench to win a penalty. But they were unreal scenes.

“I’ve never played in a game before where we’re losing after 96 minutes and go on to win it, but they were great scenes at the end.

“It’s a big lift. Obviously, we wanted to win the Burnley game but only drew, but beating United at home gives us a big lift going into some important games this month, so now we have to keep our focus heading into the next training session, the next game.”

The Blues have faced much criticism this season but have plenty to play for with a winnable fixture to come away at Sheffield United before an FA Cup semi-final match against Manchester City later this month.

“The goal, going into the season, was to get back into Europe and win a trophy - and we’ve got big opportunities to do that. We’ve got to keep working hard.

“(Pochettino) has come in to take Chelsea back to where we need to be; every three points is very important to help us get there.”

He added about his own fitness issues, having overcome his latest setback: “It’s very frustrating - no one likes getting injured because it’s hard to build momentum and rhythm, but I always remember that God is with me and everything happens for a reason. I have to keep my head up and keep going.”