The pressure was enormous, the weather was awful and then the goalkeeper, a quite recent team-mate, went the right way. But none of that seemed to mean anything to Chelsea’s Cole Palmer. His penalty kick in the 95th minute was struck so purely and so true at Stamford Bridge that nothing was ever likely to keep it out.

And so the latest line in the remarkable short story of a 21-year-old midfield player was written. This was about a vital point for his new club – the second big result against an important rival in the space of a week – but it was also about much more than that.

Palmer was until late summer, a City player. And then, very suddenly, they sold him to Chelsea where he has quickly established himself as not only the London club’s best player but also someone who England manager Gareth Southgate is talking about. Rarely has a young player flourished so vibrantly so suddenly.

City manager Pep Guardiola sounded a little grumpy about the whole thing when asked about it last Friday. He had promised Palmer game time this season, he claimed.

But what Guardiola will feel after watching Palmer write his name all over this game is doubtless a whole heap of real irritation but also maybe, when all that fades, some faint pride, too.

Cole Palmer scored a last-gasp penalty against his former club Manchester City to rescue a dramatic point for Chelsea

Palmer stepped up from 12 yards after a foul on Armando Broja to force a share of the spoils at the end of an eight-goal thriller

Erling Haaland (centre) netted a brace for the champions, who led on three separate occasions at Stamford Bridge

Palmer is, after all, one of City’s own. A Mancunian, he had been at the club since he was six-years-old. When they choose to fly is it too much to ask to wish them well?

Here Palmer played a fascinating and at times quite beautiful role in what may well be the most intoxicating game of his young career. This was, after all, only his ninth Premier League start, six for Chelsea and three for City. It was a game that flipped and flopped like salmon left on a riverbank.

City really should have won it – they led three times – but that they didn’t only added to the sense of wonder. It also says much for the competitiveness at the top end of the Premier League and we perhaps should all be happy about that.

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino ended the afternoon screaming in the face of fourth official Craig Pawson. It is unclear what sense of entitlement it is that gives our managers the confidence to behave like that but it needs to change. Pochettino behaved like a yob and it was a dreadful way to end the day.

In terms of the football, though, the Argentinean will take much from this. More than anybody, he will not be surprised at what he witnessed Palmer deliver for him.

It is not for nothing that he keeps picking him. Furthermore, this penalty was the third of three big ones scored by Palmer already this season. The others were against Arsenal last month and, more recently, the equaliser as Chelsea came from behind to win at Tottenham last week.

Big game nerves are not a problem for Palmer, then. If Pochettino had a few more like him then progress may come more quickly but at least now the new Chelsea manager can tell himself with some conviction that his team is moving in the right direction. For a while, it really didn’t look like that.

Here, Chelsea were behind early and they were unfortunate. Erling Haaland and his marker Marc Cucurella both seemed to have a piece of each other as a cross arrived at the far post midway through an open first half but for some reason it was the defender who was punished. VAR had a look but didn’t intervene and Haaland rolled in yet another goal from 12 yards.

Chelsea were well in the game and were dangerous on the counter. They looked too open, though, and it was hard not to fear for them. In the face of all that, they lead within ten minutes.

Thiago Silva scored with a header from a corner as his marker Haaland was blocked. By Palmer, as it happens. Then Reece James benefitted from a bounce from Jasko Gvardiol’s heels to cross for Raheem Sterling to score at the far post. The initial pass towards James? It came from Palmer. Of course it did.

Haaland appeared to have placed City in control after his second goal of the evening before the pulsating twist in the tale

City’s frontman was unerring once again and slotted home with aplomb on either side of the half-time interval in the capital

The breakthrough came on the half hour mark after City were awarded a spot-kick, with Haaland tucking low into the net

Chelsea don’t often beat big teams in the league. We know this. Last Monday’s win at Spurs was their first against top opposition since January 2022. So the psychological hurdle remains significant for them and for a while here it once again appeared a little too great.

City’s equaliser on the stroke of half-time came from the head of central defender Manuel Aakanji. It was a bad one, defensively.

The Swiss defender was unmarked seven yards out and then goalkeeper Robert Sanchez slipped and fell. Never a good combination.

Pegged back at half-time, Chelsea were behind soon after.

Marc Cucurella was shown a yellow card after tangling with Haaland, who moved in front of him inside the penalty area

Haaland made no mistake and sent Robert Sanchez the wrong way, though seven more goals were to come under the lights

Thiago Silva headed home a quickfire equaliser for the hosts, having glanced on a corner and beaten goalkeeper Ederson

Haaland began a neat move with a smart turn and lay off and when the ball was funnelled through Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez, a low cross to the back post was bundled in by a part of a sliding Haaland’s anatomy that has probably never been used to score a goal before.

VAR then checked for handball which was strange to say the least.

City don’t often chuck leads away. Certainly not three times in one game.

But as the rain washed in blinding torrents across the Bridge, the champions just could not take a definitive grip on this game.

Silva’s fine header at the near post deceived the sprawling Ederson and sparked wild celebrations from the home crowd

Raheem Sterling tucked the hosts into the lead against his old club after darting to the front post and touching home a cross

Forward Sterling pulled away to Kyle Walker’s right and applied the finishing touch to complete the remarkable turnaround

Manuel Akanji then levelled the score before half-time, capitalising on slack marking to nod beyond the helpless Sanchez

The defender was quickest to react to Bernardo Silva’s lofted delivery to rack up his third goal in his last five matches

Nicholas Jackson scored Chelsea’s third goal of the night after latching on to a rebound and tucking underneath Ederson

Nicolas Jackson’s fourth goal in a week – after his hat-trick against nine-men Spurs – brought the Chelsea support to the boil once more with 23 minutes left. City goalkeeper Ederson parried a low drive from Conor Gallagher and Jackson applied a deft touch to control the ball and then had the presence of mind to calmly role it in to the net. It was a real striker’s goal.

That in itself would have been a decent redemptive tale of a struggling player come good. But when Rodri’s shot flew in off the foot of Silva in the 86th minute, a goal that seemed set to win the game served only to set up Palmer for something a great deal more notable.

Ruben Dias may wish he had been calmer when sliding in to Chelsea substitute Armando Broja in the 95th minute. He may wish he had shown a little of Palmer’s subsequent poise.

Palmer says he doesn’t practice penalties, incidentally. From what we have seen of him so far, that sounds entirely believable.