Cole Palmer made a significant impact by scoring twice and assisting João Pedro as Chelsea dominated Paris Saint-Germain in the opening half, securing a 3-0 victory over the European champions on Sunday. This match was the final of the newly expanded Club World Cup.
Palmer’s goals, both struck with his left foot from just inside the penalty box, came in the 22nd and 30th minutes. He also delivered a precise through ball that let João Pedro loft a shot over PSG’s goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 43rd minute, marking his third goal in just two starts for Chelsea.
A 23-year-old who joined Chelsea from Manchester City two years ago, Palmer scored 18 goals this season.
PSG’s situation worsened when João Neves received a red card in the 84th minute after pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair. Tensions were high in the final moments, leading to a scuffle that required separation, as PSG’s coach Luis Enrique and Donnarumma confronted João Pedro near the center of the pitch.
A heavy favorite who had outscored opponents 16-1, PSG had been looking to complete a quadruple after winning Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and its first Champions League title.
Before a tournament-high crowd of 81,188 at MetLife Stadium that included U.S. President Donald Trump, Chelsea showed the energy of a fourth day of rest after its semifinal, one more than PSG.
Chelsea had finished fourth in the Premier League and won the third-tier UEFA Conference League. The Blues took the world title for the second time after 2021, when it was an seven-team event. The Blues earned $128,435,000 to $153,815,000 in prize money, the amount depending on a participation fee FIFA has not disclosed.
PSG had not lost by three goals since a 4-1 Champions League defeat at Newcastle in October 2023.
Key moments
Chelsea went ahead in the 22nd after goalkeeper Robert Sánchez kicked the ball downfield and Nuno Mendes mis-hit his header 15 yards past the midfield stripe toward his own goal. Malo Gusto’s shot was blocked by Lucas Beraldo and rebounded to Palmer, who ended PSG’s streak of 436 minutes without conceding.
Palmer doubled the lead in the 30th when he ran onto a long ball from Levi Colwill, cut inside before shooting.
Takeaways
Chelsea heads into the 2025-26 season, which starts in less than five weeks, believing it can challenge Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal for the Premier League title.
They said it
“It’s a great feeling. Even better because everyone doubted us before the game. We knew we had to put up a fight against a great team.” — Palmer
