Chelsea claimed the UEFA Conference League title with a commanding 4-1 victory over Real Betis, completing a remarkable turnaround after trailing at halftime in the final held in Wrocław. The triumph marks a historic milestone for the London side, making them the first club to win all three of Europe’s major competitions.
Betis had taken control early in the game, with Abde Ezzalzouli firing the Spanish side ahead in the ninth minute after a clever no-look assist from Isco. The Andalusian outfit looked composed throughout the first half, while Chelsea appeared disjointed and unable to respond.
At halftime, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca made critical tactical changes, introducing Reece James to replace Malo Gusto and pushing Cole Palmer into a freer attacking role. Those moves proved decisive.
Palmer played a pivotal role in the second half, exploiting gaps left by the injured Betis left-back Ricardo Rodriguez. His performance inspired a Chelsea resurgence that completely flipped the momentum of the match.
The equalizer came in the 65th minute when Enzo Fernandez met Palmer’s dipping cross with a deft header. Minutes later, Palmer delivered again, this time curling in a low cross that Nicolas Jackson diverted into the net, putting Chelsea ahead.
The Blues maintained their intensity and continued to dominate. Late in the game, two substitutes combined for the third goal: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall intercepted a throw-in, surged forward, and laid the ball off to Jadon Sancho, who cut inside and curled a superb finish into the far corner.
Moises Caicedo capped off the victory with a long-range strike in stoppage time, sealing a memorable night for Chelsea and etching their name into European history.
What They Said:
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca reflected on the performance:
“In the first half, we approached the game in the wrong way. I expected it a little bit, because for two days the happiness was a little bit too much after Nottingham Forest.
We struggled a little bit with that, but the second half was much better.
The message after Forest was that if we wanted to be an important team, what we’ve done is done and we have to win a final now.”
Club captain Reece James, who came off the bench, shared his feelings:
“It’s devastating to find out you’re not starting a final. I want to play every game, but it was the manager’s decision.
I needed to accept it and move on and come on if I was needed. In the first half, we were very flat. We needed a reaction in the second half, and we got it.”
The Gamechanger
Cole Palmer’s influence on the game was undeniable. His vision, creativity, and awareness opened up spaces in a tiring Betis defense. Both of his assists were moments of brilliance, and his ability to shift the momentum underlined his importance to Chelsea’s future.
He showed once again that the bigger the occasion, the bigger his impact. With talents like Palmer at the heart of the team, Chelsea have a powerful foundation to build on for seasons to come.
Betis Left to Rue Injuries
Real Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini expressed his disappointment:
“We played a great first half; we scored a goal, we had a couple more clear chances, but in the second half we were affected by injuries.
The fans have been incredible, during the game and even after. This is what hurts us most: not being able to give them this title.
We have qualified for Europe next season but I have to say injuries today really caused us problems. Against a team as powerful as Chelsea, that’s always going to hurt you.
How do the players feel? They are devastated. We couldn’t maintain what we did in the first half.”