Cole Palmer Leads Europe’s Big 5 U23 Players in Goal Contributions After Hat Trick vs Man United

• Cole Palmer netted a hat-trick to help Chelsea beat Manchester United
• His first professional treble takes his tally for the season to 16 goals
• The attacker leads Europe's Big 5 U23 players in goal contributions

Cole Palmer was Chelsea's saviour against Manchester United last night as his first professional hat-trick won all three points for the Blues despite first throwing away a two-goal lead.

Two late goals in the additional minutes of the second half completed his three-goal haul against the Red Devils, taking his goal tally for the Premier League season to 16.

Sports Brief looks at the top five players in Europe's big leagues with the most goals contributions.

U23 players with most goal contributions

1. Cole Palmer

Fascinating facts about the top 10 best Chelsea legends of all time

Football

Many fans raised eyebrows after Chelsea signed him on deadline day for £45 million. He has justified that and is the team's best player. Per TNT Sports, he leads U23 players in the top five leagues with 24 goal contributions – 16 goals and eight assists in 25 league games.

2. Erling Haaland

Haaland has not been at his usual best this season and has also struggled with injuries. He is behind his former teammate with 23 attacking contributions in the Premier League, 18 of which have been goals while providing five assists.

3. Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka is one of Arsenal's pivotal players, helping the team to a second consecutive title race after last season's disappointment. Per Transfermarkt, in 28 league games this season, he has contributed 13 goals and eight assists to help the Gunners sit second on the table.

3. Phil Foden

Manchester City's golden boy, Foden, is having the best season of his career. On Wednesday, he scored a hat-trick in the 4-1 demolition of Aston Villa, bringing his season tally to 14 goals and seven assists.

Premier League's most appearances: Who holds the record for the most appearances in the EPL?

Football

5. Jude Bellingham

Jude Bellingham, the fourth English player on the list, took La Liga by storm in his first season after switching from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid. He has scored 16 goals and four assists in the league for the European giants.

Unknown Chelsea player insults Palmer

Sports Brief reported on an unknown Chelsea player insulting Palmer despite the English youngster scoring three goals to help the Blues beat Man United.

Hawk-eye fans spotted the two-word insult on the match ball, which the 21-year-old posed with after his treble against the club he claimed to support as a child.