Try GOLD - Free
Palmer brilliance inspires thrilling Chelsea comeback
The Independent
|May 29, 2025
Chelsea’s season ended in glory in Wroclaw as they came from behind to beat Real Betis 4-1 in the Conference League final and deliver the first trophy of the Clearlake Capital ownership era.
Everything for Enzo Maresca’s team hinged around a fiveminute spell midway through the second half.
In that window Cole Palmer turned a match the LaLiga side had enjoyed by far the better of into a Chelsea procession, setting up headers first for Enzo Fernandez then for Nicolas Jackson just as the occasion looked to have overwhelmed this young Blues team.
Until that point and against a wall of noise from the Betis end, Chelsea were outplayed and pegged back by an early goal from winger Abde Ezzalzouli.
Then came Palmer’s intervention, and once they led it was a simple matter of adding goals from Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo, as Betis’s energy failed them.
In the first half, Chelsea had gifted them the lead after just nine minutes.
This story is from the May 29, 2025 edition of The Independent.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Independent
The Independent
Liverpool lose in the dying seconds of a match (again)
Increasingly, injury time is not Arne time. A night when Wolves could savour an action replay left Arne Slot lamenting the “same old story”.
3 mins
March 04, 2026
The Independent
CEREAL OFFENDERS
When it comes to muesli, new research shows even some premium brands are less than nutritious. So what should we look for in a genuinely healthy bowl
5 mins
March 04, 2026
The Independent
Stolen British Museum art sold on Portobello Road
A former British Museum staff member stole more than 300 artworks, selling them at an antiques market, before being caught red-handed, a new book has revealed.
2 mins
March 04, 2026
The Independent
Petrol prices set to spike as Iran threatens oil tankers
Drivers in the UK could face record-breaking petrol prices as soon as this month as the conflict between the US and Iran disrupts oil markets across the globe.
3 mins
March 04, 2026
The Independent
A million more pensioners will have to pay income tax
Up to a million more pensioners will be drawn into paying income tax as a direct consequence of frozen tax thresholds, according to new forecasts from the Budget watchdog.
2 mins
March 04, 2026
The Independent
Iran's rulers could survive by raising the price of war
Could Iran survive a war with the world's most powerful military? With the right strategy - one that starts with Tehran understanding what the United States hopes to achieve, and devising a counter plan - it's not beyond the realms of possibility.
3 mins
March 04, 2026
The Independent
Trump taunts Starmer as he deploys warship to Cyprus
Sir Keir Starmer is deploying the Royal Navy warship HMS Dragon and a fleet of armed helicopters to Cyprus in a major escalation of Britain's involvement in Donald Trump's chaotic war on Iran.
3 mins
March 04, 2026
The Independent
Reeves defends fiscal plans as global energy prices soar
Rachel Reeves was accused of being “tone deaf” on energy prices yesterday as she delivered her spring statement in the Commons.
4 mins
March 04, 2026
The Independent
Will the spring statement help Reeves keep her job?
In a rare outcome for one of her set-piece occasions, Rachel Reeves's intentionally low-key spring statement went off relatively well yesterday.
2 mins
March 04, 2026
The Independent
The UK must not be dragged into Trump's Iranian folly
We know from our experience of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya that it is relatively easy for politicians to decide to unleash upon a country and its people large-scale firepower.
3 mins
March 04, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size