Palmer says Chelsea proved their doubters wrong with Club World Cup final win

Cole Palmer revelled in proving Chelsea's doubters wrong as they claimed Club World Cup glory with a superb 3-0 win over European champions Paris Saint-Germain in New Jersey.

Palmer found the same corner of Gianluigi Donnarumma's net twice in eight first-half minutes before setting up Joao Pedro for Chelsea's third goal as they claimed their second trophy of the season following their Conference League win.

Paris Saint-Germain had been heavily fancied to lift the trophy and complete a quadruple after thrashing Real Madrid 4-0 in the semis but could not recover after Chelsea's rampant first-half showing and had Joao Neves sent off for a hair-pull on Marc Cucurella.

Palmer's goals came almost exactly a year after he scored in England's Euro 2024 final loss to Spain but this time there was never any doubt they would lead to a victory which, according to the 23-year-old, was made all the sweeter by the pre-match expectations.

"Obviously it's a great feeling," Palmer said on DAZN. "Even better because obviously everyone doubted us before the game.

"But to go out there and put a fight on like we did against a great team, it's good.

"I like finals and it happened again," he added of his goals, which equalled his total for his previous 29 appearances for club and country combined and took him to 18 for the season in total.

"The gaffer put a great game plan out. He knew where the space was going to be. I just had to repay him and score some goals.

"He's building something special, something important," he added of head coach Enzo Maresca. "I feel like we are going in the right direction."

Maresca said: "Today we found a position for him where there was space to attack.

"I'm happy for Cole but the effort from all the players has been fantastic."

In a showpiece fixture which featured lengthy pre and half-time shows more typical of NFL games, and watched by US president Donald Trump, who later took part in Chelsea's celebrations, Maresca insisted he saw the win coming before their 22nd-minute opener.

"No words for the players," he said. "They deserve it. It's a good moment.

"For me, we won the game in the first ten minutes. In the first ten minutes we set the tempo for the way we want to play. We were very good.

"Unfortunately with the weather conditions it is not easy to do for 90 minutes, but I think we won the game in the first ten minutes."

Chelsea now face a quick turnaround to the new season, beginning their Premier League campaign live on Sky Sports against Crystal Palace in only a month's time on August 17.

"Our future is very exciting," added Maresca, "but I'm more excited for three weeks off!"

Analysis: Care-free Palmer shines on big stage

Sky Sports' Nick Wright:

Palmer was pictured riding a scooter through Times Square in the build-up to the final. He revelled in the same child-like freedom on the pitch at the MetLife Stadium.

The 23-year-old had only scored twice in his previous 29 appearances going into the game. The second half of this epic season has not always been easy for him. But he lived up to his nickname with his finishes for Chelsea's first two goals.

Both were dispatched with unerring calm, out of reach of the towering figure of Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had only been beaten once all tournament, and into the same exact corner of the net.

He showed his creative abilities for the third goal, punishing the space afforded to him by Paris Saint-Germain as he carried the ball forward before timing his pass perfectly for Joao Pedro.

He continued in the same vein, playing with a care-free swagger even as Paris Saint-Germain began to lose their heads, at one point drawing cheers from the crowd when he kept the ball in play by backheeling it through the legs of Fabian Ruiz.

He treated his interaction with the US president Donald Trump with the same apparent nonchalance as he collected his winner's medal and the best player of the tournament award. But as Paris Saint-Germain now know, this is a player to be taken seriously.