All the talk in the build-up to the Club World Cup final was about how brilliant PSG are – but they were humbled by Cole Palmer.
Deservedly, the champions of Europe, even the most brazen Chelsea fan would have admitted they had a bad feeling about what could have happened to Enzo Maresca’s side in New York. But what unfolded was scarcely believable as the Blues ran riot as 3-0 winners.
Chelsea started the brighter of the two teams despite plenty of fear that the Parisiens would come flying out of the traps. And just minutes in, most of the MetLife Stadium thought Cole Palmer had put the Blues 1-0 up when his left-footed effort from the edge of the box ended up in the side netting after pinging off the pole that holds the nets up.
The Blues were eventually rewarded for their positive start as Palmer nonchalantly rolled the ball into the far corner following good work from Malo Gusto on the right.
And Chelsea were in dreamland when Palmer provided a near carbon-copy finish to double the Blues' lead on the half hour mark.
Cole Palmer scores vs PSG
Cole Palmer scored two identical left-footed efforts (Image: Getty Images)
It got even better for Chelsea fans as the unthinkable happened when Joao Pedro chipped Gianluigi Donnarumma to make the score 3-0 in the first half after more brilliant work from Palmer to slide the Brazilian through on goal.
Just days ago Pedro was on the beach during the off-season as a Brighton player while Chelsea required extra-time to eventually cruise past Benfica in the round of 16.
A run to the final that left much to be desired after a late winner to beat Palmeiras in the quarter-final before victory over Fluminense in the semi-final. While PSG battered Real Madrid 4-0 in the semi-final having beaten Bayern Munich in the quarter-final.
PSG might have been suffering from burnout – they certainly were not at their energetic best. But Chelsea were everything in that first half that made the Parisiens the best in Europe.
And the frustration in the Paris camp eventually boiled over when Joao Neves was sent off for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair.
Chelsea's Cole Palmer, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against Paris Saint-Germain during the first half of the Club World Cup final
Chelsea are the Club World Cup winners (Image: AP)
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One other Chelsea hero whose contribution will be majorly overlooked by Palmer’s brilliance is Robert Sanchez. So often the punching bag for rival fans, and his own most of the time, the Spaniard was remarkable in the Chelsea net.
Initially keeping the scores level early on, denying Desire Doue’s low effort, the game would have likely looked incredibly different.
He later produced a great save to deny Ousmane Dembele just minutes into the second half when PSG looked certain to pull a goal back and make a game of the occasion. He could've also had an assist when Liam Delap ran through on goal after latching onto a fizzed pass, only to see him unable to beat Donnarumma one-on-one.
Chelsea’s season is now finished on the same day that Liverpool started their new one against Preston at Deepdale in a 3-1 friendly win.
The Blues are next in action on August 8 against Bayer Leverkusen before Maresca’s side look to make their mark in the Premier League.