Real Betis 1-4 Chelsea: Palmer inspires second-half comeback in historic Conference League triumph

Chelsea produced a second-half masterclass to rout Real Betis 4-1 and earn a slice of history by winning the Europa Conference League.

Enzo Fernandez, Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo were all on target as the Blues recovered from a lacklustre first half in Wroclaw on Wednesday.

The Blues became the first side to win each of the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League and Cup Winners' Cup, having trailed to Abde Ezzalzouli's well-taken goal at half-time.

However, the brilliant Cole Palmer inspired a second-half fightback, laying on assists for Fernandez and Jackson in a five-minute salvo.

Substitute Sancho and then Caicedo made sure of a win that completed a job well done for Enzo Maresca's side, who qualified for the Champions League on Sunday and finish the season with European silverware.

There was little sign of what was to come as Betis flew out of the traps and were ahead after nine minutes when the influential Isco teed up Ezzalzouli, who took an excellent touch out of his feet and rifled into the bottom-right corner.

Filip Jorgensen had to claw Marc Bartra's top-corner-bound effort from range and Johnny Cardoso saw a great chance deflected over inside the area after more good work from Ezzalzouli.

Chelsea mustered just a solitary shot on target in a first half that yielded an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.1, but they did start to exert more control after the break and there was a brief VAR check when Adrian clattered into Jackson.

The equaliser arrived after 65 minutes when Palmer swung in a delicious right-wing cross that Fernandez glanced into the bottom-left corner.

Palmer then drew a smart from Adrian before he played another brilliant cross into the centre that Jackson guided past the Real Betis keeper to complete the turnaround. 

Jackson should have done more to extend the lead when racing clear on the break, only for a heavy touch to deny him a shot at Adrian's goal.

But Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall teed up fellow substitute Sancho, who turned inside his marker to bend a fine effort into the top-right corner before Caicedo drilled a fine fourth past Adrian to provide the finishing touch on a fine comeback. 

Isco masterclass not enough as Spanish run ends

Prior to this game, when taking into account World Cups, European Championships, Champions League and the UEFA Cup/Europa League, the past 27 finals involving Spanish clubs had returned a remarkable 27 winners.

And for over an hour it looked as though Betis, playing their first major European final and becoming the 12th different Spanish side to do so, would make that 28 with former Real Madrid ace Isco pulling the strings.

The attacking midfielder, who registered five goal involvements (two goals, three assists) in the Conference League for Betis this season - his second-highest tally in a single campaign in a major European competition, showed exceptional vision for Betis to open the scoring and was just at the heart of everything good about Manuel Pellegrini's side with the Blues unable to solve the puzzles he was setting.

However, the Blues made some tactical tweaks at half-time and Betis were noticeably starting to fall deeper and deeper as Chelsea gained a foothold, and they were powerless to do anything about Palmer's two expert deliveries.

It means Betis now have just one win from contests with English opponents, with their solitary victory coming against Chelsea in the 2005-06 Champions League.

Pellegrini, just the second Chilean to take charge of a side in a major European final, will still lead his team into the Europa League next season after his side finished sixth in LaLiga, but this turned into a final that just slipped from his side's grasp.

Palmer inspires Chelsea to history

Palmer was pretty quiet in a first half in which Chelsea were just completely not at the races, but the England ace turned it on after the break and became the first player to assist twice in the final of a major European competition since Marcelo for Real Madrid against Liverpool in the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League. 

His assists came from the two chances he created and the two crosses he completed as Palmer took control of a game that was in danger of getting away from for 45 minutes.

But his brilliance saw Chelsea extend what was already a competition record for goals scored in the Conference League to 42, with Maresca also deserving plaudits for his tactical tweaks as his team became the first side to have four different scorers (excluding own goals) in a major European final since Real Madrid versus Atletico Madrid in the 2014 Champions League final.

Indeed, this was the seventh straight European final Chelsea had contested in which the manager to take them to the showpiece had done so in their first season, and Maresca can his name to the list of winners.

As well as becoming the first side to win each of the three major European tournaments that are currently contested, they are also the first to win four UEFA tournaments in total (having also won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup twice).

They have also ended a run of nine straight defeats for English sides against Spanish opponents in major European finals, with Liverpool the previous side to do so when they defeated Alaves 5-4 in the 2001 UEFA Cup.

It rounds out what now has to be considered an excellent first season for Maresca, whose side have had their critics since the turn of the year, given they have now returned to Europe's top table and added a trophy to their cabinet.

And the fact that it should be Palmer, so often their talisman, to inspire the turnaround is extremely fitting.