Winners and Losers: Record-setting Palmer and Marseille's derby flop

Cole Palmer celebrates scoring for Chelsea
Cole Palmer celebrates scoring for ChelseaREUTERS / Chris Radburn / Flashscore

While Cole Palmer is making history at Chelsea and Edin Dzeko is enjoying an unexpected renaissance at Schalke, a team from the Maldives celebrated survival thanks to a calculated forfeit. The past week also saw Crysencio Summerville’s transformation into a West Ham hero. Who else shone, and who would rather forget the last seven days?

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Winner: Cole Palmer

At just 23 years old, Palmer plays with the composure of a veteran and is carving his name into Chelsea’s history books.

Over the weekend, Palmer completed his fourth Premier League hat-trick against Wolverhampton Wanderers, putting him alone at the top among Stamford Bridge’s goal scorers. No other player in the club’s modern era has managed as many trebles in the top flight.

With this achievement, he’s left behind club icons like Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who each stopped at three hat-tricks in a Chelsea shirt. While it took some of those legends years to reach that mark, Palmer needed less than three seasons to set the new record.

Loser: Cristhian Stuani

It was a move meant to secure three points for Girona, but it turned into a nightmare. When the referee awarded a penalty in stoppage time against Sevilla with the score at 1-1, Girona’s coach Michel didn’t hesitate. He sent Stuani onto the pitch with one clear task: convert the penalty and win the match.

The logic was flawless - the Uruguayan veteran is a penalty specialist, with a career conversion rate close to perfection. He had scored 53 out of 57 penalties, boasting a phenomenal 93% success rate.

But this time, the “safe bet” failed. Stuani’s shot was read perfectly by Greek goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, who became Sevilla’s hero.

Winner: Crysencio Summerville

Back in January, he was rumoured to be leaving West Ham, reportedly unhappy at the club. Now, everything has changed. Summerville has become the driving force of the Hammers’ attack, and he proved it again against Burnley.

In a crucial moment, he took responsibility, broke through the defence with a trademark run, and scored the winning goal. The Dutch winger has now found the net in five consecutive league matches, quickly becoming the team’s key to survival.

Loser: Hoffenheim

Every streak comes to an end, but Hoffenheim’s run hit a wall at full speed. After seven unbeaten matches, Christian Ilzer’s side were confident even against Bayern, but instead suffered a crushing 5-1 defeat in Munich.

The main architect of the visitors’ demolition was Luis Diaz. The Colombian star had a dream afternoon - not only did he score a hat-trick, but he also won two penalties. Hoffenheim left with their heaviest loss of the season.

Bayern vs Hoffenheim momentum
Bayern vs Hoffenheim momentumOpta by StatsPerform

For Bayern, it was a vital response. After two league setbacks, Munich couldn’t afford another slip. The table doesn’t lie - even with a six-point lead at the top, Borussia Dortmund are right on their heels.

The Westphalian rivals are unbeaten in 14 league games and, like Bayern, have lost just once all season. Despite the thrashing, Hoffenheim remain in an excellent third place.

Winner: Edin Dzeko

He’ll turn 40 in March, but in Gelsenkirchen, he’s been reborn. Since joining in the winter, Dzeko has instantly become the leader Schalke needed in their fight to return to the Bundesliga.

Over the weekend, he scored both goals in a 2-2 draw against Dynamo Dresden, taking his tally to a fantastic three goals in three games for his new club.

Dzeko’s performances show he hasn’t gone to Schalke just to wind down his career, but to fulfill a mission - to return the famous club to where it belongs. He’s also become the oldest outfield player ever to start a match in Germany’s second division.

Loser: Marseille

This wasn’t just a defeat - it was a live execution. The most famous French derby, Le Classique, between home side Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille, turned into a one-sided demolition, with the scoreboard at Parc des Princes showing a staggering 5-0.

It’s the biggest margin ever in a match between these two clubs. PSG surpassed their previous record wins of 5-1 from 1978 and 2017, when Marseille at least managed a consolation goal.

The destruction was led by two-goal Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, with the rest finished off by substitutes and an own goal from Facundo Medina.

For Roberto De Zerbi’s team, it’s the culmination of a nightmare period. After a collapse in Bruges, they also bowed out of the Champions League last week.

Winners and Losers: Green Streets

The team from the Maldives became both winners and losers thanks to a loophole in the rules. To stay in the country’s top league, Green Streets couldn’t afford to lose their final match by four or more goals.

The club’s management chose a cynical solution - Green Streets didn’t show up for their match against New Radiant at all. The result was a 3-0 forfeit, which was mathematically enough to secure their survival.

The federation fined them €2,800 and imposed a transfer ban for one window, but didn’t strip them of their top-flight status.

Green Streets were able to exploit the loophole partly because their match couldn’t be played simultaneously with Valencia, who paid the price for this calculated move by being relegated. All 10 teams in the Maldivian top division share a single stadium.