Chelsea 6-0 Everton: Player ratings as Palmer's four goals boost Blues' European hopes

FROM STAMFORD BRIDGE — Cole Palmer continued his outstanding season with four goals in Chelsea's 6-0 win against Everton on Monday night.

The Blues are now only three points behind sixth-placed Newcastle and seventh-placed Manchester United in the Premier League table, boasting a game in hand on both.

Sean Dyche's Toffees will be looking nervously over their shoulders having suffered a major goal-difference swing for the worse, with two points separating themselves and the relegation zone.

Though Chelsea had a lot of the ball early on, Everton should have taken the lead afer ten minutes. Seamus Coleman's overlapping run was noticed by Ashley Young, and he laid a cross on a plate for Beto, who somehow fired over from a few yards out.

With their first meaningful attack on 13 minutes, Chelsea went ahead in style. Palmer received the ball from deep and ran at Everton, nutmegging Jarrad Branthwaite before playing a one-two with Nicolas Jackson and finding the bottom corner with a curled strike from the edge of the box.

It should have been two for the hosts moments later. Mykhailo Mudryk slipped through Noni Madueke, who then dinked Jordan Pickford in order to find Palmer again, but the ball ricocheted off his backside and bounced out away from goal.

But Palmer didn't have to wait too long to find the net again. An elaborate free-kick routine ended with Mudryk cutting back for Jackson, whose initial strike was spilled by Pickford, but Palmer was quickest to react and headed into an empty net.

By 29 minutes, Palmer had his perfect hat-trick. Pickford's woeful pass out from the back was cut out by Chelsea's number 20, whose instinctive right-footed lob from 35 yards dropped over the line.

Everton thought they'd pulled one back before