Cole Palmer’s Perfect Penalty Record

In the Premier League, Cole Palmer has achieved a flawless record from the penalty spot, successfully converting all 12 of his attempts. This accomplishment establishes him as holding the competition’s longest 100% conversion streak. To provide context, Opta calculates the expected goals [xG] for a penalty at 0.79, indicating that a spot-kick is anticipated to be scored 79% of the time based on their methodology. Consequently, the xG for Palmer’s 12 penalties totals 9.48, signifying that the England international has exceeded expectations by an xG of 2.52. While disputes regarding Chelsea’s designated penalty taker arose on more than one occasion last season, current statistics confirm Palmer’s undisputed role as the primary choice. A notable aspect of his performance is the assurance with which each penalty is executed. Regardless of the technique, such as a ‘Panenka’ – the blueprint for his second strike against Tottenham on Sunday – a shot at home to Burnley [seen above], or a last-minute kick to equalise against Manchester City [seen above] driven into the top left corner, his composure remains consistent. Indeed, a goalkeeper has only managed to make contact with one of his attempts on a single occasion: Guglielmo Vicario for Spurs, who pushed the ball onto the post in the same fixture last season. The ball subsequently rebounded off the post and into the back of the net, of course. Among Palmer’s 12 Premier League penalties, he has placed six into the bottom-right corner, three into the bottom left, one into the top left, and dinked two straight down the middle. Each shot was directed exactly as intended, leaving nothing to chance. The accompanying graphic below illustrates his past five penalty kicks, which include one for England during the Euro 2024 shootout against Switzerland. All were executed calmly, aimed at various sections of the goal, and all resulted in scores. The composure demonstrated by the 22-year-old from 12 yards mirrors his demeanor off the field. Regarding his initial penalty against Spurs, he informed Chelsea’s media team: “I just tried to score and I did.” Concerning his impudent second, he stated: “When I put the ball down and stepped back, I knew I was going to do it.” The next spot-kick is eagerly awaited.