Chelsea's new chapter

After 1,201 days of drought, Chelsea became the Conference League champion, promising to open a new era for this team.

After 1,201 days of drought, Chelsea became the Conference League champion, promising to open a new era for this team with a brighter position in domestic and international arenas.

Three days of two particularly important victories, Chelsea saved the whole season with a place in the top 4 of the Premier League and the Conference League championship.

Touch the miracle

Not many people expected Chelsea to win the Conference League final in Poland early on May 29 after they were behind Betis for more than an hour of play. Considered the strongest candidate for the third-tier European tournament, Chelsea have not shown the style of a champion early on. They almost left the game as early as August last year when they entered the play-off round with Servette. "The Blues" won 2-0 in the first leg at home and quickly took a 1-0 lead in the second leg in Switzerland.

However, when Servette scored two consecutive goals to reduce the score to 1-2 (2-3 on aggregate) in the 72nd minute of the second leg, Chelsea seemed to have resigned themselves to their fate until the final whistle blew. Overcoming that terrifying barrier, Chelsea officially "played the role" of a championship candidate, losing only once more in the tournament to Legia Warsaw because the second leg of the quarter-finals was only a formality.

Rated higher than Real Betis - the opponent participating in the European Cup final for the first time, Chelsea nevertheless conceded a goal very early. Once again, the shortcomings of "The Blues" were revealed with a defense that often made mistakes and an attack that was very unlucky with scoring opportunities.

Chelsea came roaring back in the second half. Brilliant performances from Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho paved the way for four goals from Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo in less than half an hour to seal a stunning 4-1 win.

The impressive comeback at the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw helped Chelsea become the first team in history to win all five major UEFA club titles: Cup Winners' Cup (formerly C2 Cup, twice), Champions League (twice), Europa League (twice), European Super Cup (twice) and now the Confer-ence League.

Cole Palmer is the mainstay of a young, confident Chelsea side on the comeback trail. (Photo: PREMIERLEAGUE)

The mark of talent

European media has heaped praise on Cole Palmer. The striker has only scored one goal since January 2025 but was the author of two assists that helped Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson score against Betis.

Cole Palmer scored for England in the Euro 2022 final but Spain won the trophy. So it would not be an exaggeration to call this Palmer's "sweet revenge".

Billionaire Todd Boehly and his consortium took over Chelsea from former owner Roman Abramovich in 2022, pouring over £1 billion into upgrading the team, but so far the Blues have only won their first title. Many stars worth tens, even hundreds of millions of pounds, have come and gone or have been disappointing. Only the £37.5 million signing Cole Palmer has had the most impact.

Cole Palmer is not alone in the responsibility of helping Chelsea regain their status as a "big guy" in English and European football. His teammates are all very young (the squad that played against Real Betis, except for Marc Cucurella, were all under 25 years old), their playing style is wild and spontaneous, but they have Enzo Maresca, a very malleable master specialist.

Jadon Sancho is one such example, and the former England international has emerged from the shadows of two disappointing years with Man United to join Chelsea on the rise. Under Enzo Maresca, Sancho has been reborn, slowly rediscovering the form that captivated Europe when he played for Dortmund.

Sancho has been given a role to play in Maresca's tactical system, and a moment of class against Betis could be the turning point for Sancho's future this summer, helping him find a good home or be retained by Chelsea.

Cole Palmer will not stop with the "Best Player of the Final" award given by UEFA, when the task for him and his teammates is still very heavy ahead.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/chuong-moi-cua-chelsea-196250529214540436.htm