Chelsea crushed Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, with Cole Palmer scoring twice and assisting once in a dominant Club World Cup final performance that left the French and European champions stunned.
The English attacking midfielder produced a first-half masterclass to secure Chelsea\'s second Club World Cup title. Palmer\'s devastating display helped the Blues claim victory in the revamped tournament\'s decider before a capacity crowd in New Jersey.
Chelsea struck first in the 22nd minute when PSG fullback Nuno Mendes gifted possession to Malo Gusto. After collecting the rebound from his blocked initial effort, Gusto found Palmer unmarked in the middle, and the midfielder slotted home just inside the left post.
Palmer doubled the lead after the 30th-minute cooling break with a goal of sublime quality. Latching onto a precise through ball from Levi Colwill, he cut inside before faking a pass to dummy a defender and firing into the bottom left corner.
The 22-year-old then turned provider, running up the channel before finding João Pedro. The Brazilian took the ball in his stride, beat the offside trap, and chipped his finish beautifully over goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
PSG\'s misery was completed when Joao Neves received a red card for pulling Marc Cucurella\'s hair in the 83rd minute. The encounter turned ill-tempered at the end, with players clashing after the final whistle.
\"It\'s a great feeling,\" Palmer told DAZN. \"Even better because everyone doubted us before the game, we knew that. To put a fight on like we did, it\'s good. The gaffer put a great game plan out.\"
Palmer, who won the Golden Ball as the tournament\'s best player, added his appreciation for high-stakes matches.
\"I like finals. It\'s happened again,\" said Palmer.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca delivered a tactical masterclass against PSG coach Luis Enrique. The Italian employed a relentless high press that emulated tactics used by Botafogo, who had previously beaten PSG 1-0 in the group stage.
\"Chelsea were more effective than us, they worked well on our slight weakness,\" PSG captain Marquinhos said. \"Tactically, they caused us problems in the first half and we took a while to react.\"
The victory marks Chelsea\'s second Club World Cup triumph, having previously won the competition in 2021. The Blues arrived in the United States after winning Europe\'s third-tier Conference League and finishing fourth in the Premier League.