Cole Palmer stole all the headlines when he scored four times in Chelsea’s 6-0 thrashing of Everton on Monday evening.
Malo Gusto recovered from illness and Mykhailo Mudryk also returned from the team that started the draw with Sheffield United as Axel Disasi and Enzo Fernandez missed out through injury.
Free-scoring Cole Palmer hit the ground running in the 13th minute after playing a one-two with Nicolas Jackson to get on the edge of the area and finished with ease.
Palmer bagged a second goal five minutes later when he latched sharply to a spill from Jordan Pickford who couldn’t keep hold of a shot from Jackson and dispatched from the closest of angles.
The Toffees were in total disarray and conceded a third before the half-hour mark as Palmer made the most of Pickford’s indecisiveness for an incredible first-half hat-trick.
Jackson added a fourth goal for the home side a minute to halftime when he perfectly controlled Marc Cucurella’s cross on the chest and volleyed beyond a diving Pickford.
Sean Dyche’s men made a double substitution in the second half which saw Nathan Patterson in for Seamus Coleman before James Garner pulled out for Jack Harrison.
It continued to be a one-way traffic though despite additions as the host claimed a fifth goal in the midway stage when Palmer fired in the bottom-corner from the spot after conceding a foul.
Beto very nearly got one back for the Toffees a little later through a snap effort from a ball in space, but the Portuguese international snapped wide.
Youngster Alfie Gilchrist compounded matters for the Toffees when he volleyed into the bottom corner after Pickford battled to control, and ultimately wrapped up a commanding victory.
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