Fans spot rude message on Cole Palmer's hat-trick ball after Chelsea's dramatic win over Man Utd

Cole Palmer took home the match ball after he scored his first senior hat-trick in Thursday's dramatic last-minute win over Manchester United, although it featured a rather 'special' message.

The 21-year-old forward, who joined the Blues from Manchester City in September for £40 million plus £2.5 million in add-ons, has been a revelation for Mauricio Pochettino's side.

In fact, he has been Chelsea's best performer this season, scoring 19 goals in all competitions.

After earning an England call-up for their March friendlies against Brazil and Belgium, Palmer impressed again on Thursday as his side secured all three points.

He opened his account with a first-half penalty before netting goals in the 100th and 101st minute to seal one of the most dramatic comebacks in Premier League history.

It was a superb performance from Palmer and after the final whistle, some of his Chelsea teammates decided to make the occasion extra special by signing his match ball.

Soon, the Premier League's official X account posted a picture of Palmer with his new toy.

And it didn't take long for fans to spot a message that read: "S*** player."

The culprit has yet to come forward but plenty of fans are speculating over the possible offender.

One thing is for sure; Palmer has enjoyed the most prolific season of his career to date, notching 16 goals and eight assists in the Premier League this term.

Former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas is in awe of the 21-year-old.

"I was a little bit surprised by the move," he told BBC's Planet Premier League podcast.

"I remember I was doing the Champions League final in the summer and he was just warming up there, being one of these young players coming up, enjoying the experience, not being basically selected or looked at to feature in the game.

"And then all of a sudden - a big move to Chelsea. He starts performing at a very high level with a lot of quality and personality. He wants the ball, he makes things happen - the final pass, he scores goals. He looks to me a bit like James Maddison for Tottenham. He's that type of player that makes the team tick.

"He has this pause in him - sometimes in modern football, everything accelerates too fast and players don't understand the moment when to pass or when to move. He has the composure in him that gives time to the strikers to make their runs."

Fabregas added: "I have to say I've been very impressed, I didn't expect this type of impact and he has been the player of the year without any doubt for Chelsea."