The clash between Chelsea and Palmeiras provided a thrilling climax to the first day of quarter-final action in the Club World Cup.
Chelsea stood as the Premier League’s last remaining representative in the competition, following Manchester City’s elimination in the last 16. Abel Ferreira’s superbly coached Palmeiras were always going to be tough, but Enzo Maresca’s side triumphed in fine style over the talented but disciplined Brazilian outfit.
Despite a bright and energetic start by Palmeiras, Chelsea soon settled, asserted control and gained a foothold in the game. This culminated in Cole Palmer opening the scoring in the 16th minute. More on that soon.
Chelsea’s strong central attacking presence saw them populate the 10 and half-spaces effectively. This gave the ball holder multiple options, with Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and the inverted Malo Gusto so vital.
Moreover, Liam Delap pinned the centre-backs and Chelsea’s wide players helped fix and stretch the Palmeiras defence both horizontally and vertically — duly elevating the Blues’ threat. The base structure also featured Chelsea’s spread-out back three with defensive midfielder Andrey Santos ahead. This granted Chelsea a favourable setup to frequently progress and penetrate the middle of Palmeiras’ block, as well as around it.
Chelsea’s right-sided mechanics and dynamics were especially integral to the Blues’ early dominance. They consistently manipulated and disrupted the Verdao with their astute dovetailing and slick combination play. Palmer’s opener served as a testament to the success of this avenue.
Synergy in attack
Maresca’s side created a four-on-two in the build up — which was common throughout — with Gusto, Palmer, Pedro Neto and Delap pinning adversaries. This allowed Trevoh Chalobah space to stride forward without pressure, and the Englishman expertly found Palmer between the lines after he had smartly peeled off the back shoulder of Richard Rios. Palmer received the ball and turned in one smooth motion, before clinically slotting it into the bottom corner.
Delap’s role here deserves special mention. Not only did he occupy his marker shrewdly, but he also took a couple of steps to his left to create the space for Palmer to spin into. A brilliant sequence, built on Chelsea’s masterful right-sided prowess.
How to watch Chelsea vs PSG
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| Date and time | Fixture | Link | |||||
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The high, indented, positions Gusto constantly took up were instrumental to Chelsea’s shape. It allowed him to essentially act as an additional No.10, or even a striker at times alongside Delap. Gusto relished the freedom to get dangerous in central zones, typically as the spare man. His intelligent roaming was crucial in helping Chelsea find Palmer and Fernandez in pockets between the lines, bringing superiority in midfield. It also opened passing lanes into Delap and facilitated third-man combinations to ensure Chelsea progressed up the pitch smoothly.
Chelsea were a nightmare to mark, fluidly switching between a 3-4-3, 3-3-4 and 3-3-1-3 depending on the positioning of the midfielders. This structural fluidity and their clever rotations, as well as Delap acting as an excellent target man, definitely heightened Chelsea’s menace.
Delap chose wisely when to drop deeper, with his hold-up and link play also valuable. He was able to feed the nearby advanced Chelsea midfielders with crisp bounce passes so they could receive the ball in forward-facing body postures. This allowed them to immediately continue their momentum and sustain the tempo of attacks.
Blues one-half weakness shows again
Palmeiras came out swinging after half-time, with Bruno Fuchs coming close early on. The Brazilian giants were roared on by their loyal fans and levelled thanks to a sublime strike from Estevao. A wondergoal against the team he will now join, Estevao’s finish was a wicked blend of power, finesse and placement to beat Robert Sanchez from an incredibly tight angle.
His moment of magic was just the response Palmeiras craved. And the timing wasn’t bad either, given the iconic Fourth of July celebrations were in full flow in the background.
The second half was a lot more even, but Chelsea were the ones to find a winner. Although there was a touch of fortune following a nicely-worked corner routine. Gusto’s deflected shot ricocheted in off Agustin Giay to give Chelsea the lead and land a cruel blow to their opponents.
To their credit, Chelsea saw out the match coherently even if Paulinho wasn’t far from equalising late on. The Blues prevail to the semi-finals, where they will face another Brazilian side in Fluminense.
“Very happy, very happy. It’s a fantastic day – semi-final of the Club World Cup – you know, the best clubs in the world – and we are here,” Maresca told reporters.
“The effort from the players again tonight has been fantastic. We are very happy. Very happy for Cole. Probably, for us, it was the perfect night – because we won and Estevao scored. It was very good for all of us.
Another formidable test awaits in Chelsea’s pursuit to reign supreme at the Club World Cup. And Maresca’s men will certainly be well aware not to underestimate any Brazilian side given their immensely challenging clashes with both Flamengo and Palmeiras so far.