Palmer inspires Chelsea to victory in Conference League final
Chelsea's Cole Palmer
Photo:
Action Plus/Photosport
Chelsea sparked into life in the second half as they came from behind to claim the Conference League trophy with a 4-1 victory over Real Betis, their revival inspired by the creativity of Cole Palmer at the Wroclaw Stadium in Poland.
Goals from Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson - both set up by the excellent Palmer - plus late strikes from Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo secured the silverware after Betis went in 1-0 up at half-time thanks to an early Abde Ezzalzouli strike.
The 23-year-old Palmer's two assists in five minutes during the second half turned the match around for Premier League club Chelsea and his efforts saw him named Player of the Match.
The victory means Chelsea are the first team to have won all three European competitions, having lifted the Champions League twice along with two Europa League trophies in their history.
Betis appeared nervous in the opening minutes but eventually went in front when Isco found the unmarked Ezzalzouli at the edge of the box in the ninth minute, giving him plenty of time to break the deadlock with a powerful low shot.
Chelsea seized control of the second half, dominating the midfield and orchestrating a series of attacks that left Betis scrambling to hold onto their narrow lead.
The pressure bore fruit in the 65th minute when Fernandez slipped between two defenders to head home a cross from Palmer for the equaliser and ignite a roar from the Chelsea fans.
Five minutes later, the match had completely turned around when Palmer cleverly wriggled past his marker near the byline to again deliver a cross that enabled Jackson to bundle the ball into the net off his chest and put Chelsea ahead.
Substitute Sancho made it 3-1 when he cut inside and curled a delightful shot into the far corner that gave goalkeeper Adrian no chance. Moises Caicedo then added the fourth to seal the London club's seventh major European trophy.
-Reuters
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