Palmer inspires Chelsea to 4-1 win over Betis in Conference League final

Ammon

2 days ago

Ammon News - 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 on Wednesday, their revival inspired by the creativity of Cole Palmer at the Wroclaw Stadium.
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 halftime 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. They have also won the now defunct Cup Winners' Cup.
"I am very happy. I was a little bit frustrated in the first half because I think we approached the game in the wrong way," Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca told TNT Sport.
"In the second half we played much better."
The result had no bearing on European qualification for next season, with Chelsea having secured a Champions League spot and Real Betis a Europa League place via their domestic leagues.
Even before the match started, Betis fans set off green flares, their vibrant glow embodying the fervour and historic pride of the club's debut appearance in a European final.
However, Betis appeared nervous in the opening minutes before they went ahead 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.
Betis nearly doubled their advantage minutes later when Marc Bartra's long-range effort forced Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen to tip the ball over the bar.
Johnny Cardoso then received a perfectly weighted pass that put him in an ideal position to score another goal for Betis, but a moment of hesitation allowed Chelsea defender Benoit Badiashile to block his attempt.
SECOND-HALF TURNAROUND
In the first half, only one team had been in the ascendancy as Betis pushed forward and Chelsea were outplayed.
However, it was a different story in the second period as Chelsea seized control, dominating midfield and orchestrating a series of attacks that left Betis scrambling.
The pressure bore fruit in the 65th minute when Fernandez slipped between two defenders to head home a pinpoint Palmer cross for the equaliser and ignite a roar from the Chelsea fans.
Five minutes later, the match had completely turned around when Palmer cleverly turned his marker near the byline and again delivered a precise cross that enabled Jackson to bundle the ball into the net off his chest and put Chelsea ahead.
Sancho effectively ended the contest in the 83rd minute by firing into the far corner and Caicedo put the icing on the cake with the fourth goal in stoppage time to delight the fans and secure the London club's seventh major European trophy. Reuters