Cole Palmer credited Mauricio Pochettino for pushing Chelsea on to score a thrilling goal in their epic Premier League triumph over Manchester United.
In a exciting match at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea was ahead 2-0 after 19 minutes but then fell behind in the second half as United unexpectedly came back.
It seemed like a crucial three points for a United team vying for the top-four, but Palmer scored twice in just 82 seconds of injury time, leaving the visitors disheartened.
‘It was an incredible game,’ Palmer told TNT Sports. ‘When we scored in the 98th minute, I thought let’s go for it. Madness.
‘I didn’t know what to do. I was running around when I scored. A hat-trick is a hat-trick. It was my first one, and I’m really happy about it.
‘When we scored, he [Pochettino] said there’s two minutes left, come on. He’s always trying to motivate us. We went for it and thankfully we scored.
‘It’s a significant win. It’s a huge boost in momentum. It puts everyone in a good mood. Hopefully, we can continue this success.’
Conor Gallagher gave Chelsea an early lead at the Bridge and it seemed like the hosts would easily win when Palmer scored from the penalty spot in the 19th minute.
But Manchester United somehow drew level at half-time, scoring twice in five minutes through Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes.
United completed the comeback when Garnacho changed the game with a fantastic cross from Antony, but Palmer saved Chelsea with another penalty before scoring a dramatic game-winning goal.
Talking about scoring two penalties in the game, Palmer added: ‘I had a few penalties this season. I’m just going to keep trying to score them. If I get penalties, I’m going to try to score, I’m not going to try to miss.’
Chelsea have little to play for in the Premier League other than pride, but will hope this result can kick-start Pochettino’s tenure and provide some momentum ahead of an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City later in the month.
Speaking after the amazing win, Pochettino said: ‘So happy because I think we deserved to win. I think it was tough, but overall we were the better team.
‘We started the game really well and the way we conceded affected the team emotionally. United play in transition really well, and the way we conceded the goals is not the way to concede.
‘The fact is we always need to do more to win, but I think it was amazing, and the performance was not great, but good.
‘It is a start to building a connection with the fans and it will be very helpful for our future.’
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