After Palmer netted all four of Chelsea's goals in the Blues' 4-2 victory over Brighton on Saturday, some fans have criticized him for being avaricious. In the Premier League, Chelsea defeated the Seagulls 4-2 at Stamford Bridge, with Palmer playing at his peak. Georginio Rutter gave the visitors the lead in the seventh minute, but Palmer quickly reversed the score with a hat-trick. Palmer equalized in the twenty-first minute, converted a penalty kick in the twenty-eighth to give Chelsea the lead, and finished with a magnificent free kick to complete his hat trick in the thirty-first.

Three minutes later, Carlos Baleba gave Brighton a one-goal lead again, but three minutes later, Palmer scored his fourth goal off a feed from Sancho to give Chelsea a two-goal advantage again. He made Premier League history by becoming the first player to score four goals in the first half of the game.