Cole Palmer led Chelsea to a 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain, who had ten players, earning them their second FIFA Club World Cup title.
Palmer scored twice and assisted Joao Pedro with the other goal as the Blues easily defeated the newly crowned UEFA Champions League winners, who had Joao Neves sent off late in the game at MetLife Stadium.
After barely eight minutes, the England midfielder missed his first chance of the final. Marc Cucurella stopped Desire Doue’s attempted square ball for Achraf Hakimi, giving PSG a fantastic opportunity at the other end. The forward may have been too selfless for his own benefit.
Chelsea took advantage of the break to score halfway through the first half. Palmer stroked a superb side-footed attempt past Gianluigi Donnarumma after Malo Gusto started a powerful run and checked back to tee him up.
Eight minutes later, Palmer increased his own and The Blues’ total in nearly the same way. From the right wing, he spearheaded the attack and skillfully created space to shoot before directing another low shot into the far corner.
Shortly before halftime, he moved into the area and slipped the ball into the area for Joao Pedro to lift over Donnarumma, turning provider. With the break, PSG seemed refreshed.
Robert Sanchez pushed Vitinha’s shot wide from a distance and wonderfully stopped Ousmane Dembele from close range. At the opposite end, substitute Liam Delap came very near with a curling 25-yard attempt that Donnarumma successfully deflected.
Joao Neves was sent off for violent behavior after yanking Cucurella’s hair, adding to PSG’s suffering as they were unable to find a way back into the match despite their best efforts.