Golden Boot contender Cole Palmer surprises even himself when it comes to delivering some of the coolest finishes in the Premier League.
The England sensation scored twice as Chelsea came from two goals down to beat London rivals Tottenham 4-3 on Sunday. His input was once again critical as he converted twice from the penalty spot to bag the Blues all three points and keep the club just four points off Liverpool's pace.
His second spot-kick proved particularly impressive as Palmer's Panenka caught Fraser Forster off guard. 'Cold' is as cold does, after all, though not even the player himself knew he was going to go for such an audacious move until seconds before.
"The second one, I didn't know I was gonna do it [the Panenka]," Palmer told Sky Sports while watching his goals back in a post-game interview. "But when I put the ball down, I looked at the clock and thought, 'It's a bit mad. The game's a bit mad so far. He's gonna dive.' And he dived."
When asked to clarify that he didn't plan the manoeuvre in advance, Palmer told the reporter: "No, I didn't plan it, but when I put the ball down, I knew."
Even more impressive is Palmer's admission that he doesn't practice Panenkas, wary that doing so would only increase the pressure on his shoulders. Whatever the former Manchester City prospect is doing to date appears to be working for him, to say the least.
It's feats such as these that have earned the 22-year-old a reputation as one of the calmest customers in England's top flight. Palmer is only excelling as Chelsea's talisman in his second season at Stamford Bridge, with the west Londoners all of a sudden looking like Liverpool's biggest competition for the crown under Enzo Maresca.
As for Palmer himself, the youngster is already up to 11 goals and six assists in 15 Premier League games this season. To put those figures into context, Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland are the joint-top scorers in the division on 13 goals apiece as things stand.
Palmer was named Young Player of the Season after racking up 22 goals and 12 assists in the league last term but could well top those numbers this campaign. And he's guaranteed to remain his usual frosty self all the while.