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EAST RUTHERFORD, N,J. (AP):

Cole 'Cold' Palmer scored twice and fed Joao Pedro for a goal as Chelsea overwhelmed Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the first half and beat the European champions 3-0 yesterday in the final of the first expanded Club World Cup (CWC).

Palmer had almost identical left-footed goals from just inside the penalty area in the 22nd and 30th minutes, then sent a through pass that enabled Joao Pedro to chip goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 43d for his third goal in two starts with the Blues.

A 23-year-old who joined Chelsea from Manchester City two years ago, Palmer scored 18 goals this season.

PSG finished a man short after Joao Neves was given a red card in the 84th minute for pulling down Marc Cucurella by his hair. After a testy final few minutes in a game with six yellow cards, the teams needed to be separated as PSG coach Luis Enrique and Donnarumma pushed Joao Pedro near the centre circle.

Heavy favourites after they had outscored opponents 16-1, PSG had been looking to complete a quadruple after winning Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and their first Champions League title.

Before a tournament-high crowd of 81,188 at MetLife Stadium that included US President Donald Trump, Chelsea showed the energy of a fourth day of rest after their semi-final, one more than PSG. Trump was booed when he walked on the field for the postgame awards, then posed with Chelsea players after he and FIFA president Gianni Infantino handed the trophy to captain Reece James.

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 a seven-team event. The Blues earned US$128,435,000 to US$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 Sanchez 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 head into the 2025-26 season, which starts in less than five weeks, believing they can challenge Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal for the Premier League title.

They said it

"It's a great feeling. Even better because obviously everyone doubted us before the game. ... The gaffer put a great game plan out and obviously, he knew where the space was going to be." -- Palmer