Putting in what was a sensational performance on Sunday night, Chelsea stormed their way to Club World Cup glory as they claimed a thumping 3-0 victory against reigning European champions PSG.
While Enzo Maresca’s men might have opened Sunday’s showdown in New Jersey regarded as a real underdog contender, the Premier League giants came flying out of the traps.
Watching England international Cole Palmer bag a spectacular first-half brace in the space of just eight minutes, Chelsea were in dreamland and completely dominated PSG across the pitch.
The Blues notched a sensational third strike just moments before the half-time break as new recruit Joao Pedro dinked over Gianluigi Donnarumma and extended on his remarkable immediate start to life with Chelsea.
Although Robert Sanchez might have pulled off a couple of smart sops on either side of the interval, Maresca’s side were a more than worthy winner and deserve all of the plaudits.
However, with Joao Neves shown a late red card after a brief VAR check for pulling defender Marc Cucurella’s hair, there were ugly post-match scenes.
With PSG boss Luis Enrique cutting a furious figure at the full-time whistle, there will be plenty of questions asked over the conduct of the former Barcelona manager.
In what was a star-studded showpiece event on Sunday night, we have taken a look at the main talking points from New Jersey.
A dream summer for Maresca
While Chelsea might have clinched a maiden Europa Conference League crown back in May as they stormed their way to a 4-1 victory against Real Betis, Maresca had found continued speculation over his position ahead of this summer’s tournament.
However, with the Stamford Bridge hierarchy publicly backing their man last month, Sunday’s famous victory in New Jersey shows why the Chelsea bosses made the correct call.
Laying down what was a heavyweight marker on Sunday night as they breezed past the reigning European champions, talks over a potential Premier League title charge will now only intensify.
Booking an essential Champions League return on the final weekend of the 2024/25 campaign, the Blues are riding what has been a sensational wave of momentum over the past few months and they find the mood in their camp at a red-hot high.
Already spending big during the summer transfer window and making a major statement at the MetLife Stadium, Maresca’s side certainly reestablished themselves as one of Europe’s very elite this weekend.
Palmer steals the show
While Palmer might have signed off the 2024/25 campaign by notching just a single Premier League strike since the middle of January, the England international has only further underlined his status as Chelsea’s ultimate poster boy.
Despite only arriving at Stamford Bridge back in the summer of 2023 after completing a £40million move from Manchester City, the 23-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable rise to superstardom.
Blossoming into one of European football’s hottest attacking stars, Palmer once again stole all of the headlines on Sunday night and once again demonstrated why he is the king of west London.
Notching a sensational first-half brace in New Jersey, fans around Stamford Bridge will also be hugely excited by the immediate impact that new recruit Pedro has made since arriving from Brighton earlier in the month.
Despite struggling to find much of a clinical edge at the back end of last season, Chelsea have found some real firepower and couldn’t have made a bigger summer statement here.
A New Jersey nightmare for PSG
Making real history on May 31st as they claimed a maiden Champions League crown thanks to an iconic 5-0 romp against Inter Milan in Munich, PSG opened their summer adventure pencilled in as the leading title contender.
Booking their spot in Sunday’s showpiece event earlier in the week after landing a famous 4-0 victory against Real Madrid, Enrique’s men were looking to collect yet another heavyweight European scalp.
Widely regarded as European football’s new poster boys, the French giants were fancying their chances of adding yet another piece of silverware to their bedding trophy cabinet.
However, while PSG might have drastically failed to find their tantalising best on Sunday night, the former Barcelona boss will know that their somber performance was nothing more than a minor blip.
Completing a silverware sweep during the 2024/25 campaign and with one of Europe’s most feared attacks, Enrique’s camp will certainly be relishing a much-deserved summer break.
Match Report
Chelsea: Sanchez, Gusto, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella, James, Caicedo, Fernandez, Palmer, Neto, Pedro
Subs: Dewsbury-Hall, Nkunku, Santos, Delap
PSG: Donnarumma, Hakimi, Marquinhos, Beraldo, Nuno Mendes, Neves, Vitinha, Ruiz, Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia
Subs: Ramos, Zaire-Emery, Mayulu, Barcola
Goals: Palmer (22’, 30’), Pedro (43’)
Yellow Cards: Chelsea: Colwill, Gusto, Neto, Caicedo – PSG: Dembele, Nuno Mendes
Red Cards: Neves (85’)
Referee: Alireza Faghani
