Cole Palmer made Premier League history on Saturday, February 7, 2026, by becoming the first player to record three first-half hat-tricks as Chelsea defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 at Molineux. The 23-year-old opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a coolly dispatched penalty after Matt Doherty fouled Joao Pedro, before doubling the lead from the spot in the 35th minute following another foul on the Brazilian forward. Palmer completed his remarkable treble just three minutes later, finishing a flowing team move involving Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella to ensure Liam Rosenior maintained his perfect start as Chelsea’s head coach with four consecutive league victories.
At Old Trafford, Manchester United consolidated their position in the top four with a dominant 2-0 victory over ten-man Tottenham Hotspur. The match swung decisively in United’s favour in the 29th minute when Spurs captain Cristian Romero was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Casemiro. Michael Carrick’s side capitalised on the numerical advantage just before half-time, as Bryan Mbeumo finished a clever set-piece routine. Bruno Fernandes added a second in the 81st minute to secure the points, leaving Tottenham in 14th place and piling further pressure on their manager, Thomas Frank, amid a winless start to the calendar year.
Arsenal extended their lead at the summit of the Premier League to nine points with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium. Summer signing Martin Zubimendi broke the deadlock in the 41st minute with a precise low strike from the edge of the box that clipped both posts on its way in. The Gunners’ dominance was eventually rewarded in the second half through substitute Viktor Gyokeres, who netted twice in the 65th and 92nd minutes to reach 13 goals for the season. The victory marks Arsenal’s 21st clean sheet of the campaign across all competitions, further cementing their status as title favourites under Mikel Arteta.
These results have significantly shaped the top of the table, with Arsenal moving to 56 points, nine clear of second-placed Manchester City ahead of their clash with Liverpool. Chelsea’s resurgence under Rosenior has moved them within a single point of Manchester United, who occupy the final Champions League spot with 44 points. Conversely, the defeat for Wolves leaves them rooted to the bottom of the table with just eight points from 24 matches, while Sunderland remain in mid-table despite their brave defensive efforts in North London.
