Blues stun unbeaten Parisians with 3-0 win as Palmer leads tactical masterclass in New Jersey
Chelsea shocked the football world with a commanding 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, on Sunday night.
Despite PSG’s dominant run through the tournament brushing aside Bayern Munich and hammering Real Madrid 4-0 Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea turned the script upside down. The London club outplayed the French champions from the opening whistle and never let go.
Cole Palmer struck twice and provided an assist to João Pedro in the first half, sealing the win before the halftime show even began.
“We won the game in the first 10 minutes,” said Maresca after the match. “We went man-to-man and pressed high because if you give PSG space, they punish you. That early intensity was everything.”
Cole Palmer, restored to his preferred position on the right, was instrumental. He capitalized on defensive gaps down PSG’s left side, where fullback Nuno Mendes struggled under constant pressure. João Pedro repeatedly joined Palmer on that flank, overwhelming PSG’s defense.
“We had a lot of success attacking their left side,” Maresca confirmed. “It worked because the players gave everything.”
Analysts at the stadium called it a tactical masterclass. Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel said, “We’ve never seen a team do this to PSG they were stretched all game.”
PSG, unbeaten in domestic and European play this season, had no answers. The Parisians committed uncharacteristic turnovers and failed to match Chelsea’s intensity. By the time Coldplay took the stage at halftime, the damage was done.
“There was disbelief in the stadium,” remarked one analyst. “Chelsea hunted every ball in the New York heat and didn’t let PSG breathe.”
The result gives Chelsea their second Club World Cup title, following their 2021 win. But the significance of this win goes deeper. The new Club World Cup format means Chelsea holds the world champion title until 2029.
“The fans have bragging rights for four years,” said a match analyst. “No one can take that away.”
The tournament also awarded Chelsea an estimated £85 million in prize money—an economic and morale boost for a club that has faced criticism under its new ownership.
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly embraced Maresca on the podium, a visible sign of growing belief in the new project. Since Boehly took over in 2022, the club has spent about £1.5 billion on new players. Critics once labeled them “billion-pound bottle jobs,” but this season tells a different story.
Chelsea now holds both the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup titles. With an average squad age under 27 and standout performers like Palmer, João Pedro, Moises Caicedo, and Enzo Fernandez, the team’s potential is rising fast.
“This could be a turning point,” said a former international star watching pitch-side. “Chelsea aren’t far from contending for the Premier League if they keep this momentum.”
Maresca echoed the sentiment: “This trophy matters. I’ve won the Champions League before, but this competition had the best teams from every continent. It means the world.”
Palmer summed it up best: “No one believed in us. But we believed in ourselves and showed the world.”
The Blues’ next challenge is to carry this form into the domestic season. But after Sunday night’s clinical dismantling of Europe’s top team, confidence is no longer in question.
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