🦁 Premier League Player of the Week: A perfect comeback | OneFootball

With Liverpool having already secured the title this was the weekend that the Premier League focused on the Race for Fifth™.

And with that in mind, our Player of the Week is...

Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

📸 HENRY NICHOLLS - AFP or licensors

“The kind of player who can do things that no one expects."

That was Enzo Maresca's appraisal of Cole Palmer after Chelsea beat Liverpool 3-1 on Sunday to give their hopes of Champions League football next season and major boost.

The Blues came into the weekend's match having not lost since travelling to Arsenal in mid-March but knowing that only a win would do in their hunt to finish fifth and get the better of Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.

Things had improved slightly over the past few weeks for Maresca's men but in Palmer they had a player who seemed to be struggling with the weight of expectation after making a seismic impact in his opening campaign for the club last time out.

In musicians' terms, this was Palmer's difficult second album, but if we're labouring this metaphor a little more his performance against Liverpool was the most remarkable comeback single.

After going 13 games without a goal for the west London outfit, Palmer finally broke his duck to hand Chelsea the three points with a typically classy penalty.

But it wasn't just the goal that earned him headlines, it was complete mastery from minute one at Stamford Bridge.

The England international was back to his best, humiliating Kostas Tsimikas on an almost minute-by-minute basis and earning comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo from Gary Neville in the Sky commentary box.

Speaking to the same broadcaster afterwards, Palmer was open about his recent drought in front of goal and trying to ignoring the haters online.

"Obviously shit happens," he said. "I went three months without scoring but it just gives me more motivation, more fight to do well, not just for myself but for the team.

"You know yourself social media is just full of idiots, trolls or whatever. I don’t pay no attention. To score today I’m happy. It’s only one and I’ve got to keep improving to try and reach my levels."

With three intriguing games against Newcastle, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest to come, Palmer's levels will need to stay the same if Chelsea are to claim their place at Europe's top table next term.

📸 Shaun Botterill - 2025 Getty Images