COLE AS ICE

Former Man City star Palmer keeps calm to snatch late penalty leveller for Chelsea

- JOHN CROSS

CHELSEA - 4 

MANCHESTER CITY - 4 

WHEN the final goal went in, the scorer was the coolest player on the pitch amid the sheer mayhem. 

Chelsea's injury-time hero Cole Palmer, the boyhood Manchester City fan, scored the 95th-minute equaliser from the penalty spot and did not want to celebrate against his old club.

The Chelsea fans behind the goal could not believe their eyes, Palmer's teammates were jumping all over him and Pep Guardiola must have been left harbouring a tinge of regret.

It was Guardiola who said the other day that he would never stand in the way of a player wanting to leave because that would be a "small club" mentality.

City more than played their part in an eight-goal classic but it was Palmer - who left the Etihad in the summer to get more regular games - another ex-City star in Raheem Sterling and Conor Gallagher who fought as if their lives depended on it.

It is hard to imagine you can get such drama and excitement like this anywhere but the Premier League as City were pegged back not just on the pitch but also in the title race.

Guardiola's reigning champions remain top but missed the chance to go three points clear and they are definitely not going to have it all their own way this season in what could be a four-horse title race with Arsenal, Liverpool and possibly Tottenham.