Conference League champions! Chelsea win thrilling final 4-1

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Football writer Alex Keble reflects on Chelsea's triumph in the UEFA Conference League final against Real Betis.

Chelsea have become the first team in history to win all five European club trophies after coming from behind to beat Real Betis 4-1 at Stadion Wrocław in Poland, courtesy of a magnificent second-half display from Cole Palmer.

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It’s the result most people expected, and yet for a while it looked as though this would be a story of master versus apprentice; of the wily old Manuel Pellegrini and the vastly experienced Isco schooling Enzo Maresca and his young side.

Instead, Chelsea were rampant in the second half and simply blew Betis away, perhaps triggering a new dawn. This was a coming-of-age performance - and a first major trophy for both Maresca and the majority of his players.

It could be transformative for this side, who now have that winning feeling and the confidence that comes with lifting silverware. That applies to Maresca, too, whose inspired substitutions turned the tide.

Palmer was among those collecting his first winners’ medal tonight, and nobody in Wrocław deserved it more than Chelsea’s talisman, who watched Isco put in a magical first 45 and decided to take matters into his own hands.

Isco dazzles in a perfect Betis first half that has Chelsea on the ropes

It was Betis who raced out of the blocks to take advantage of a surprisingly open first 10 minutes, catching Chelsea cold with a disarmingly simple approach.

Pablo Fornals intercepted a Malo Gusto pass 25 yards from goal and within seconds, Isco had played a cleverly disguised pass to Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, who fired low into the far corner to send Betis into a ninth-minute lead – and send their fans into pandemonium.

It was a goal that neatly summarised the pattern of a dominant first half for Betis and a tepid one from Chelsea, who walked straight into the trap.

Chelsea were frequently getting caught out by rapid breaks that saw Ezzalzouli surge past Gusto time and time again, a clearly deliberate strategy that almost saw the Spanish side double their lead 10 minutes after the opener.

Ezzalzouli glided past Gusto after neat footwork from Isco, only this time Betis passed up a golden opportunity, Johnny Cardoso firing over the bar when he should have made it 2-0.

The first half continued in that manner, Betis growing in confidence and Isco running the show.

Indeed he was majestic in the opening 45, a masterclass performance that seemed to show the gulf in class and experience between the 33-year-old five-time Champions League winner and Maresca’s young team.

But Palmer had other ideas.

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Substitutions flip the narrative as Palmer wrestles the game from Isco

Unsurprisingly, it prompted a half-time substitution as captain Reece James came on to replace Gusto, and suddenly Chelsea began to ask serious questions of the Betis defence.

They had a penalty appeal turned down when Nicolas Jackson and goalkeeper Adrian went for the same aerial ball, and then, as the pressure cranked up, Palmer arrived.

He twisted and turned on the right and, seemingly from nothing, delivered a perfect curling cross into the path of Enzo Fernandez, who glanced a header into the bottom corner to give Chelsea a 65th-minute equaliser.

This was Palmer’s game now. Minutes later he was again in the thick of the action, a dipping shot stinging the hands of Adrian.

Nobody was thinking about Isco anymore, and five minutes later it would become, emphatically, the Cole Palmer final.

He picked up the ball on the right, slowed things down, and then turned beautifully to spin away from Jesus Rodriguez and cross perfectly for Jackson to chest it home.

The first with the left foot, the second with the right, Palmer had taken total control.

Yet what followed was frantic. Betis fought hard for an equaliser, flipping the style of the contest as Chelsea began to benefit from counter-attacks until, in the 83rd minute, Maresca’s side finally killed off the game.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall led the break and fed Jadon Sancho – one sub to the other – to cut infield and send a superb curling effort past Adrian with 83 minutes on the clock.

Maresca’s changes had done it, and as the Betis fans watched on in horror, Moises Caicedo twisted the knife with Chelsea's fourth goal in the 91st minute.

Led by Palmer, Maresca’s youthful side can step up a level this summer

The future is looking bright after this. It might not be the high-profile game Chelsea want to be playing in, but to get over the line is an important moment for such a young side.

Marc Cucurella, at 26, was the oldest Chelsea starter this evening, making them only the second side to start a major UEFA final without a player aged 27+ in their XI after Crvena Zvezda against Borussia Monchengladbach in both legs of the 1978/79 UEFA Cup final.

Every experience is a learning opportunity, and every victory on this scale a major milestone in their development, especially with a Champions League campaign to follow next season.

"This can be a starting point," Maresca told TNT Sports, "and from tonight, for next season, we can create something important."

Chelsea are one of six Premier League clubs to qualify for the Champions League and in a further showing of just how strong English football is right now, Maresca's side have made this an historic season for the Premier League.

For the very first time, five different clubs have won a trophy in the same campaign: Liverpool (Premier League), Crystal Palace (FA Cup), Newcastle United (EFL Cup), Tottenham Hotspur (Europa League) and Chelsea (Conference League).

Chelsea’s only focus will be on their own future, however.

And with Palmer, who became the first player to assist twice in a European final since the 2017/18 Champions League final, when Marcelo set up two goals for Real Madrid against Liverpool, Chelsea will start to believe anything is possible next year.

Palmer bested Isco, bested everyone, and responded to four slow months by his high standards in the perfect way. He will feel invincible tonight.

By August, with the FIFA Club World Cup in their sights before then, so might Chelsea.

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