Latest news with #Chelsea
Kuwait Times
26 minutes ago
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
History-makers Chelsea roar back to beat Real Betis in UEFA Conference League final
First club to complete clean sweep of European trophies WROCLAW: Chelsea roared back to beat Real Betis 4-1 in the UEFA Conference League final in Wroclaw on Wednesday, becoming the first club to complete a clean sweep of European trophies. Manuel Pellegrini's enterprising Betis caught the favorites cold with an early goal from Abde Ezzalzouli against a flat-footed and listless Chelsea. But Enzo Maresca's second-half substitutions injected energy and Cole Palmer changed the complexion of the game in a five-minute spell, setting up Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson to score. Substitute Jadon Sancho made the game safe in the 83rd minute as the Spanish side faded in their first European final and Moises Caicedo added gloss to the scoreline. Chelsea are the first club to win the full set of five UEFA club tournaments - the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, Super Cup and the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup. They have also won their first silverware since Todd Boehly's consortium took over from former owner Roman Abramovich in 2022, following an era of unprecedented success for the club. Boehly was on the pitch at the end, savoring the win that seemed unlikely when Betis were in control in the first half. Chelsea have ended the season with a flourish after also securing a place in next season's Champions League following a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League. Maresca, in his first season at Stamford Bridge, said he hoped Conference League glory would be a launchpad for the club. 'The club have invested lots of money in the last three or four years, so they are also waiting for results,' Maresca told TNT Sports. 'Hopefully this can be a starting point and from tonight, from this season, (we are) building something important.' The Spanish side went ahead in the ninth minute through Ezzalzouli, who scored the goal against Fiorentina that took his side to the final. Malo Gusto lost the ball and it broke to Betis captain Isco, who produced a clever pass to find Ezzalzouli on the edge of the box, with the Moroccan drilling a left-footed shot across Filip Jorgensen. Minutes later Marc Bartra tried his luck from distance but this time Jorgensen was equal to the task, producing a flying save. Urged on by their massed ranks of fans, Betis went close again when Johnny Cardoso's shot from inside the box was deflected behind. The Premier League side were enjoying the bulk of possession but struggling to create meaningful chances, with Betis defending well and Isco, a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, pulling the strings. Palmer magic Maresca brought on James for the struggling Gusto at the break and the English side looked livelier. Pellegrini was forced a change when goalscorer Ezzalzouli was forced off, with Jesus Rodriguez coming on to replace him. Maresca also made a number of other changes, including bringing on Sancho, but it took two moments of magic from Palmer to turn the tide. The England man produced a pinpoint in swinging cross from the right that found onrushing Argentina midfielder Fernandez, who got between two defenders to head the ball past Adrian in the 65th minute. Suddenly Chelsea's tails were up and the fans behind the goal were in full voice. Five minutes later Palmer twisted and turned before producing another superb cross that Jackson bundled into the net. Jackson should have scored a second goal but a heavy touch allowed the Betis goalkeeper to gather. But Sancho made it 3-1 when he combined with fellow substitute Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and finished from an angle and Caicedo added a fourth from the edge of the box. Victory for Chelsea breaks an astonishing cycle of wins for Spanish teams. Taking into account World Cups, European Championships, Champions League and the UEFA Cup/Europa League, of the previous 27 men's finals involving Spanish teams, all 27 had had Spanish winners. Four Spanish club sides had been defeated in that time, but in all cases by fellow La Liga sides. Earlier, the center of Wroclaw was packed with fans from both clubs, with green-and-white clad Betis fans outnumbering their English rivals. Poland's Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said police made 28 arrests after supporters clashed in the city's market square. — AFP
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd forced to change plans amid striker snub as club eyes £50m deal
Manchester United are in the market for fresh blood in a bid to bounce back from a damaging season under Ruben Amorim, who is also planning to axe a number of stars Manchester United are working hard in the transfer market to rebuild their beleaguered squad after their worst-ever Premier League campaign - but the Red Devils are not having things all their own way. Ruben Amorim and Co are desperate to bolster their firepower by signing a new striker. And while a deal for the versatile Wolves forward, Matheus Cunha, is close to being done, their pursuit of an out and out No.9 will have to continue with Liam Delap now heading to Chelsea. Elsewhere, there are further dilemmas for Amorim to ponder. United have been linked with further reinforcements in midfield and further back, while question marks having over Andre Onana after another up and down campaign. With the summer window now finally upon us, Mirror Football rounds up all the latest transfer news and gossip from Old Trafford... Delap snubs United Liam Delap will not join Manchester United following Ipswich Town's relegation from the Premier League, with the sought-after striker poised to pursue a transfer to Chelsea. Delap, 22, was being courted by a host of top-flight clubs after catching the eye in Suffolk during a difficult campaign. Newcastle and Everton were among the other teams to make a move for the England Under-21 star. But it is Chelsea who will land him - leaving United back at square one when it comes to the search for a new No.9. Cole's Sancho demand Joe Cole has urged Chelsea to pull the trigger on their option to sign Jadon Sancho for £25million, claiming the Manchester United misfit has done enough at Stamford Bridge to earn a permanent move. The Blues agreed to sign Sancho permanently when signing him on loan last summer, although it has since emerged that they can renege on that clause if they are willing to pay a £5m penalty. Cole, though, urged his former club to persevere with the former Borussia Dortmund prodigy after watching him score a stunner in the Europa Conference League final. Milan want Garnacho AC Milan are the latest club to be linked with Alejandro Garnacho after it emerged that the Argentina winger is free to find a new club this summer. Garnacho was told he is surplus to requirements by Ruben Amorim and Chelsea and Napoli - two of the forward's suitors in January - have been tipped to rekindle their interest in the 20-year-old. But Argentine outlet Ole claim AC Milan and Juventus are also interested in Garnacho, who they feel could be available for £50m.
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Chelsea aim high after Conference League win
The UEFA Conference League was not where Chelsea wanted to be, but their triumph in Wroclaw could prove to be a turning point for a club that had lost their trophy-winning habit. The Premier League team beat Real Betis 4-1 on Wednesday, recovering strongly from being outplayed in the first half by their Spanish opponents. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca's second-half substitutions lifted his team but an inspired Cole Palmer was the catalyst for victory, producing two pinpoint crosses for Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson. Jadon Sancho's fine finish made it 3-1 and Moises Caicedo added a fourth in stoppage time to give Chelsea their first silverware since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital acquired the club in May 2022 from Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. During the past three years the owners have spent more than £1 billion ($1.3 billion) on promising young talent, but until now have had little to show for it. Chelsea had been clear favourites to win Europe's third-tier club competition from the start, enabling Maresca to field youth and fringe rampaged through the group phase, outclassing teams with a fraction of their resources such as Noah, Astana and Shamrock Rovers. Maresca spoke on the eve of the final in Poland about how he had stressed the importance of the Conference League to his players. He will not need to persuade them next season as they are back where they feel they belong, the Champions League, following a fourth-place finish in the Premier League. 'Winning mentality' Maresca, in his first season at Stamford Bridge, said he hoped winning the Conference League would be a launchpad for bigger and better. "Hopefully, it can be a starting point to build a winning mentality," he said. "You need to win games. You need to win competitions. "And for sure, the trophy we won tonight is going to make us better. But also, I'm very proud about the path or the journey we have done in the Premier League. "For me, it's the most difficult competition in the world. You have to be consistent in 38 games. And these players, they showed it." Maresca had a rollercoaster first season after replacing Mauricio Pochettino. His team were within touching distance of eventual Premier League champions Liverpool in mid-December before stumbling badly. But they found an extra gear towards the end of the campaign, negotiating a tricky run-in to finish in the Champions League spots. "For sure, we have improved a lot since we started," said former Leicester boss Maresca. "We also start to win games in an ugly way. "That is something with a young squad that you struggle to do that." The Italian has been keen to highlight the extreme youth of his expensively assembled squad. The average age of his starting side was the youngest in a single Premier League campaign. It is too early to predict whether they will return to those heady heights but the Conference League is a start. Next on the agenda is a trip to the Club World Cup in the United States, for which Chelsea qualified by winning the 2021 Champions League. "Now we have 10 days off, 10 days where we need to recover energy, and then we're going to start the Club World Cup," said Maresca. "The target is to go game by game, try to go step by step, but at this moment we don't have any target for the Club World Cup. "Now the only target is to recover energy, because the season has been very long."
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Enzo Maresca accused of lying by Chelsea legend after winning Conference League
Enzo Maresca has been called up on his comments in the aftermath of Chelsea's final Premier League match of the season following their victory in the Conference League final Enzo Maresca has lied about the doubts he felt around his Chelsea squad earlier in the season, according to Frank Leboeuf. Maresca ended the season triumphantly by guiding Chelsea to fourth in the Premier League before winning the Conference League with a win over Real Betis. The Blues have risen to the pressure impressively, seeing off Nottingham Forest 1-0 on Sunday to secure a place in next season's Champions League, before producing a comeback over Betis. The Spanish side led 1-0 at half-time in Wroclaw, but Maresca's changes helped his side roar back and win 4-1. Goals from Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo earned a new trophy for Chelsea's collection and ensured a wholly positive feeling at the end of a busy 2024/25 campaign. Maresca has revelled in the achievements from his debut campaign in charge, but former Chelsea star Leboeuf has criticised his words. 'I didn't have any doubt about the players. The doubt was from outside,' Maresca said in a rant after the Forest win which saw him tell Chelsea's critics: 'F off to all of them, because the players deserve that.' But Leboeuf believes this assertion is simply not true. He told ESPN: 'He is right and he has a right to brag. He finished fourth in the league and won the Conference League today and we didn't think he could finish fourth and that's the reality. 'But his first sentence is a lie. He said he never had doubts about his team. Yeah, he had doubts like everybody else, even the players had doubts about the capacity of consistency. As we said this season in the Premier League inconsistency is the word of the season. Nobody has been consistent, even Liverpool hasn't been consistent. 'Chelsea, for some people, they were in the race for the title in December. I said wait for the first defeat and what happened? They went down. No doubt Mr Maresca? Yes you had doubts, of course you had doubts.' Speaking in his post-match press conference after the Conference League win, Maresca did admit that his Forest outburst was 'a little bit exaggerated'. He said: 'Hopefully, it can be a starting point to build a winner mentality. You need to win games, you need to win competition. And for sure, the trophy we won tonight is going to make us better. 'But also, I'm very proud about the path or the journey we have done in the Premier League. But for me, it's the most difficult competition in the world. You have to be consistent in 38 games. And these players, they showed. 'That's why after Nottingham Forest, my outburst was a little bit exaggerated. But the reason why is just because in 38 games, you need to be consistent. And with the youngest squad in the history of the Premier League, it's something unbelievable.'
Metro
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Metro
Chelsea issue ultimatum to Jadon Sancho over £25m transfer from Man Utd
Chelsea are ready to sign Jadon Sancho on a permanent transfer from Manchester United but only if he takes a significant pay-cut. The Blues have been weighing up whether or not to sign Sancho permanently following his mixed loan spell at Stamford Bridge. Sancho struggled for consistency following his arrival from Old Trafford but did help Chelsea qualify for the Champions League and win the Europa Conference League. When Chelsea signed Sancho on loan, they agreed to make the deal permanent at the end of the season for between £20-25m. However, it emerged earlier in the season that Chelsea were able to get out of the deal by paying Manchester United £5m in compensation. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. Sky Sports say Chelsea have opened talks with Sancho's representatives and hope to keep him at the club. With a return to Manchester United seemingly off the table, Sancho is keen to sign a permanent deal with Chelsea, the club he supported growing up. But talkSPORT say Chelsea have informed Sancho he will need to take a pay-cut if he wants to stay at Stamford Bridge and agree a deal which fits in with the wage structure at the club. Sancho is believed to be on around £300,000-a-week and a compromise will need to be reached as Chelsea's policy has been to sign players on long, incentivised contracts with lower base wages. Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca gave little away when asked about Sancho's future following the Conference League victory over Real Betis. 'We are going to sit with the club and decide what happens for next year,' Maresca said. 'If we finish fourth it is also because of Jadon, if we win tonight it is also because of Jadon. It is normal in a season to go a little bit up and down.' As has often been the case this season, Sancho started on Chelsea's bench against Betis but made a telling contribution following his introduction, curling home his side's third goal in a 4-1 win. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Speaking after Chelsea won the Conference League, Blues hero Joe Cole urged his former club to keep Sancho and tipped him to go to another level next season. 'I think Jadon is a really great player and I think he's done well,' Cole said. 'He's been rotated in and out a bit but I want to see Jadon playing. You want a player like that in your squad. It will come down to a financial decision I imagine but I really like him.' More Trending Asked whether he thought Sancho had done enough to earn a permanent move to Chelsea, Cole added: 'Yes I do. 'This is a kid who went to Dortmund and was a superstar as a kid. It wasn't working at Man United but he's done well, he's got his career back on track at Chelsea. 'I think there's more to come from him as well.' Sancho scored 12 goals in 83 appearances for Manchester United following a big-money move from Borussia Dortmund in 2021. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Amad Diallo urges Ruben Amorim to reconsider Manchester United transfer decision MORE: Liverpool star could block Marcus Rashford's 'dream' transfer move from Manchester United MORE: Erik ten Hag targets two Manchester United stars as first Bayer Leverkusen signing
