Cole Palmer delivered a sensational first-half performance as Chelsea thrashed Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 to clinch the Club World Cup title at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
The English midfielder starred in the final of the revamped tournament, scoring twice and setting up Joao Pedro for the third in a dominant display that left the European and French champions stunned. PSG finished the match with 10 men after a late red card.
Chelsea opened the scoring in the 22nd minute following a costly mistake by PSG’s Nuno Mendes. After winning back possession, Malo Gusto’s initial shot was blocked, but he recovered quickly to square the ball to an unmarked Palmer, who calmly slotted it inside the left post.
Palmer doubled the lead shortly after the 30th-minute cooling break with a moment of brilliance. Picking up a well-timed through ball from Levi Colwill, he cut inside, deceived a defender with a feint, and buried a precise shot into the bottom-left corner.
Moments later, Palmer turned provider, racing down the flank before delivering a perfect pass to Joao Pedro, who beat the offside trap and lofted a composed chip over PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
PSG’s night went from bad to worse when Joao Neves received a red card in the 83rd minute for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair, capping a frustrating evening for the French side.
