Chelsea 3-0 Paris Saint-Germain: Magnificent Palmer crowns Chelsea champions of the world | OneFootball

Cole Palmer stole the show as Chelsea dominated Paris Saint-Germain to claim the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup trophy.

The new number 10 scored a brace and provided the assist for João Pedro’s third goal all before halftime.

PSG did create some good chances but never looked entirely comfortable, even finishing with 10 men after a late red card was shown to João Neves. Enzo Maresca had masterminded a hugely impressive victory and one which secured his second trophy as Chelsea boss.

As it happened

If it was going to be anybody, it was always going to be him. If anyone from a Chelsea side which finished fourth in the Premier League and benefited from a favourable run to the final was going to drive them to victory against a seemingly unbeatable PSG side, it was always going to be Cole Palmer.

Not many would’ve dared predict it, not even the most optimistic in royal blue. PSG steamrolled Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to get this far. Chelsea, on the other hand, made hard work of Benfica and Palmeiras before the arrival of João Pedro spurred them onto victory against Fluminense.

All the signs pointed towards one-way traffic. And it was – just not for the Parisians.

After an eight-minute delay to kick-off thanks to a music show and the general Super-Bowlification of this final, Chelsea started the better of the two sides and put pressure on Gianluigi Donnarumma’s goal from the outset. Palmer nearly opened the scoring inside 10 minutes with a shot which bent agonisingly wide of the top corner before crashing off the stanchion behind the goal, convincing a portion of the crowd that The Blues were in front.

On this occasion, it wasn’t to be, but Chelsea fans wouldn’t have to wait much longer for the opener.

Before that, though, PSG created their only moments of attacking quality in the half, as Désiré Doué first tried to square the ball to Achraf Hakimi in front of goal only for Marc Cucurella to clear the danger, before then testing Robert Sánchez for the first time with a low shot that was pushed wide of the post.

But from then on, it was all Chelsea.

PSG’s defensive line was remarkably high – often located not even in their own half – so Enzo Maresca’s men had a field day on the break. That’s where their first goal came from: Malo Gusto had been played in behind before having a shot blocked by Lucas Beraldo. However, it rebounded back into his path, allowing him to tee up Palmer on the edge of the area. He opened his body up, shaped to shoot, and instead passed the ball into the bottom left corner. There was little venom to the shot and yet Donnarumma had no chance, such was its precision.

On the half-hour mark, it was two and Palmer had doubled up with an identical finish. He’d been played in behind once more, before sizing up Beraldo with not one, not two, but three shimmies to create the space to shoot. Cue the same finish as before, and a dumbfounded PSG.

Luis Enrique’s side were truly lost at sea. This wasn’t the side which put five past Inter in the Champions League final, nor the one which demolished Real Madrid to get this far. With every misplaced pass, every unnecessary turnover, every break towards their thin defence, they got a sour taste of their own medicine.

It was three at the break. Palmer simply couldn’t stay out of the action, this time turning provider to send Pedro through on goal at the end of – you guessed it – another rapid break away. The Brazilian took it from there, dinking the ball over the six-foot-five Italian between the sticks.

Maresca had done the unthinkable for 45 minutes: he’d outthought Luis Enrique, and he’d continue to do so in the second half.

The European champions would create some better chances through Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Doué, Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha, but Sánchez between the sticks was equal to everything, putting in perhaps his best ever performance in a Chelsea shirt.

Besides, most of those efforts were speculative shots in anger. Chelsea did what they’d been doing all game: absorbing pressure and hitting on the break. Liam Delap might’ve got in on the act as well had Donnarumma not made two incredible saves, first to deny his strike destined for the top corner and then to smother a chance from very close range.

In truth, they were unlucky it wasn’t four or more.

On the other hand, all the Parisian stars who defined their treble-winning season looked like shadows of themselves. The man who guided them to that trophy looked forlorn. They were proved mortal after all, made most evident when João Neves, one of the revelations of the season, pulled Cucurella’s hair and was subsequently shown a red card.

When the fulltime whistle blew, it was likely a relief, with their agonisingly long season finally over, but there was still time for tempers to flare, as Luis Enrique and Donnarumma were particularly involved in a scuffle after the whistle was blown.

Of course, Chelsea’s is over too, but with a second major trophy secured after winning the UEFA Conference League in May.

This Club World Cup is one which produced talking points which extend beyond football. Its place in the sport will remain hotly debated, as the argument between corporate profit and player welfare rages on.

As far as the football is concerned, though, it ended with the trophy draped in royal blue, and Chelsea officially the champions of the world.

The lineups

CHE: Sánchez; Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; James, Caicedo, Fernández; Palmer, Pedro, Neto

PSG: Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha, Ruiz; Doué, Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia