Chelsea attacker outshines Didier Drogba as remarkable stat emerges after 2-2 draw vs Hull City

Cole Palmer registered an assist for Joao Pedro's equaliser as Chelsea came from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw against Hull City in Saturday's Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge.

Morgan Rogers had given the Blues a dream start by unleashing a thunderous left-footed strike from inside the box in the seventh minute, taking his tally to three goals for the campaign and continuing his superb start to life in west London.

However, defensive mistakes allowed the Tigers to turn the game on its head, with Mohamed Belloumi striking twice in quick succession to give the visitors a 2-1 lead before Joao Pedro restored parity after the interval.

Chelsea ultimately had to settle for a point, leaving Alonso's side frustrated after surrendering an early advantage and failing to turn their dominance of possession into a winning performance.

Palmer endured a relatively underwhelming 2025-26 campaign by his lofty standards, but the left-footed wizard appears to have rediscovered his best form under Alonso and is once again looking like the player who can make Stamford Bridge tick.

The 24-year-old has now registered two goals and two assists in the Premier League this season, while adding another two goal contributions in the EFL Cup, giving Chelsea supporters plenty of reason to believe that their talisman is back to his imperious best.

Palmer has now recorded 71 Premier League goal involvements in his first 100 appearances for Chelsea, a remarkable return that places him ahead of club legends such as Didier Drogba, Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas at the same stage of their Blues careers.

According to Opta Analyst, only Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, with 77 goal involvements, has managed more than Palmer across his first 100 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, further illustrating just how extraordinary the England international's impact has been since arriving at Stamford Bridge.

The result means Hull remain unbeaten in the league and sit third in the Premier League table with eight points, while Chelsea are just one point behind them in fourth.

After beginning the campaign with consecutive victories, the Blues have now gone two Premier League matches without a win, following last week's 2-1 defeat to Arsenal with another frustrating result in front of their home supporters.

Chelsea enjoyed more possession against the Tigers but were once again let down by their defending, and the failure to convert territorial dominance into three points will leave Alonso searching for answers.

The Blues have now gone 20 Premier League matches without keeping a clean sheet, and unless Alonso can quickly put an end to the defensive chaos, Chelsea's hopes of mounting a serious title challenge could be undermined by the same problem time and again.

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