How a Cole Palmer masterclass turned Chelsea’s Conference League nightmare into glory | OneFootball

Chelsea’s season ended in glory in Wroclaw as they came from behind to beat Real Betis 4-1 in the Conference League final and deliver the first trophy of the Clearlake Capital ownership era.

Everything for Enzo Maresca’s team hinged around a five-minute spell midway through the second half.

In that window Cole Palmer turned a match the LaLiga side had enjoyed by far the better of into a Chelsea procession, setting up headers first for Enzo Fernandez then for Nicolas Jackson just as the occasion looked to have overwhelmed this young Blues team.

Chelsea celebrated a historic win in Wroclaw (PA)

Until that point and against a wall of noise from the Betis end, Chelsea were outplayed and pegged back by an early goal from winger Abde Ezzalzouli.

Then came Palmer’s intervention, and once they led it was a simple matter of adding goals from Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo, as Betis’s energy failed them.

In the first half, Chelsea had gifted them the lead after just nine minutes.

Malo Gusto’s careless pass through midfield was cut out, the ball breaking to captain Isco, who reversed a sumptuous pass in-field to find Ezzalzouli. The winger peeled away, then took a touch to make space with his right foot, before drilling into Filip Jorgensen’s bottom corner with his left.

The impressive Abde Ezzalzouli had fired Betis ahead (Getty)

But the Spanish side ended the game with just consolation medals (Reuters)

It could have been two moments later had Jorgensen not produced a fine reach to keep out Marc Bartra's curling long-range shot.

There was the unmistakable sense of Betis, whose fans dominated the stadium in noise and number, having begun their first European final with the greater desire.

Isco, a five-time Champions League winner with another Real but never as skipper, suggested before kick-off that the game might mean more to his side than to Chelsea and in the first half there was no doubting Betis’s extra energy.

Gusto, who has had a poor season, was at fault again with an ineffective challenge to be robbed by Ezzalzouli. The goalscorer then bamboozled Caicedo before squaring it for Johnny Cardoso, who from a glorious position blazed over.

Pedro Neto then thumped the ball high and wide, a wild miss that summed up a poor Chelsea half in which they attacked at walking pace and Betis, superbly marshalled tactically by Manuel Pellegrini, coped with ease.

Reece James replaced Gusto at the break and, slowly, Chelsea began to squeeze Betis in their own half.

Finally, 65 minutes into the final, they produced their first clear opening, or rather Palmer did it alone. It was he who spotted the forward dart of Argentina midfielder Fernandez and sent in an arcing cross from wide on the right, which the World Cup-winner nodded down through the grasp of Adrian and in.

Enzo Fernandez scored Chelsea’s equaliser (Getty)

Cole Palmer’s brilliance turned things round for Chelsea (AP)

Chelsea were now awake and no one more so than Palmer, so when he picked up the ball on the far side of the penalty area five minutes later there was a ready feeling a second goal was imminent.

So it proved: Palmer’s chipped ball to the near post finding Jackson, who adjusted his body well and guided home with his shoulder.

The shock clearly affected Betis, who were beginning to tire following a mammoth effort.

What was left of their spirit drained away when Sancho lifted a wonderful curling finish into the top corner with seven minutes left, before Caicedo drilled home a late fourth.