Palmer shines as Chelsea crush PSG to win Club WC

Cole Palmer scored twice and provided an assist in the first half to lead Chelsea to a 3-0 victory over 10-man Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday, clinching the title in the inaugural edition of the revamped FIFA Club World Cup, reported Xinhua.

The English midfielder struck two precise left-footed curlers in the 22nd and 30th minutes, then set up Joao Pedro to add a third just before halftime.

PSG, the reigning European champion and 4-0 winner over Real Madrid in the semifinal, entered as the favorite. But Chelsea seized control early, in front of a tournament-record crowd of 81,118 spectators.

Palmer opened the scoring with a curling shot into the bottom corner from just outside the box, capitalizing on a loose ball after Malo Gusto's initial effort was blocked. Eight minutes later, Levi Colwill fed Palmer, who cut inside and found the same corner again.

Palmer capped his brilliant half in the 43rd minute, carrying the ball through midfield before threading a pinpoint pass behind the defense for Pedro, who calmly finished to make it 3-0.

PSG pushed for a response in the second half, but Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez denied several attempts, including a close-range effort from Ousmane Dembele in the 53rd minute.

Any hopes of a comeback were dashed in the 84th minute when Joao Neves was sent off for pulling Marc Cucurella's hair.

Palmer, 23, was named both Man of the Match and Best Player of the Tournament. Sanchez took home Best Goalkeeper honors.