COLE Palmer inspired a stunning Chelsea performance as they downed European champions Paris St-Germain to win the first edition of the newly expanded Club World Cup.
The England attacking midfielder scored twice and set up a brilliant third goal for new signing Joao Pedro in a comprehensive 3-0 win over in-form PSG at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Palmer placed a low shot past goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 22nd minute after Malo Gusto ran in behind Nuno Mendes, adding a second with a neat dummy and identical shot from the edge of the box just eight minutes later.
His defence-splitting pass allowed Joao Pedro to lob Donnarumma just before half-time to stun a team branded “the best in the world” by Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca before kick-off.
In the second half Khvicha Kvaratskhelia immediately tested Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, while his close-range save minutes later from Ousmane Dembele was even more impressive.
Substitute Liam Delap also had a good shot saved as PSG were left with too much of a mountain to climb after missed opportunities by Joao Neves and Desire Doue when the scores were level in the first half.
The game was all but over on 85 minutes when matters got worse for the Parisians, as midfielder Neves was sent off after a brief VAR check for pulling defender Marc Cucurella’s hair.
PSG manager Luis Enrique will also face questions after appearing to slap Chelsea forward Joao Pedro in ugly post-match scenes, with unused substitute Presnel Kimpembe having to pull away his coach.
Enrique later said he was trying to separate fighting players “to avoid a situation getting worse”, adding: “It was a result of the pressure at the end of the match.”
Among the 81,118 people in attendance – the biggest of the tournament – was US President Donald Trump, who sat alongside Fifa president Gianni Infantino as Chelsea took their earnings to about £90m as they became world champions.
Palmer is literally and figuratively Chelsea’s poster boy, and he will take all the headlines from this final.
In New York’s Times Square, there are giant billboards featuring the 23-year-old’s image and he recreated the famous lunch-atop-a-skyscraper photo for Fifa with Ballon d’Or-tipped Dembele before kick-off.
His fame could reach another level now and he has become the face of a resurgent Chelsea, the Club World Cup following the Conference League triumph in May to show the investment made by the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital regime can lead to glory.