Cole Palmer delivered a first-half masterclass as Chelsea overwhelmed Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 to lift the Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, on Sunday.
The English midfielder was involved in all three goals—scoring twice and assisting Joao Pedro—in a dazzling display that left the French and European champions stunned.
Chelsea opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after a blunder by Nuno Mendes, whose poor clearance allowed Malo Gusto to recover and find Palmer in the box. Palmer calmly slotted the ball inside the left post to make it 1-0.
After a 30th-minute cooling break, Palmer doubled the lead with a moment of brilliance. He latched onto a sharp Levi Colwill pass, cut inside, dummied a defender with a fake pass, and curled a low shot into the bottom corner for 2-0.
Palmer then turned provider in the 40th minute, sprinting up the flank and laying off a perfect ball to Joao Pedro, who timed his run to beat the offside trap before elegantly chipping over Donnarumma to make it 3-0 before halftime.
PSG’s night went from bad to worse when Joao Neves was sent off in the 83rd minute for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair, capping a frustrating evening for the Ligue 1 giants.
Chelsea’s triumph marks a statement of intent under their new setup, while Cole Palmer’s performance cements his growing reputation as one of the most exciting young talents in world football.
