Enzo Maresca believes Chelsea won the Club World Cup final “in the first 10 minutes” by setting the tempo and restricting Paris Saint-Germain.
The Blues stunned the European champions at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium as two goals from Cole Palmer and one from new signing Joao Pedro earned Chelsea a richly-deserved victory.
By winning the competition, which was the first to feature 32 teams, Chelsea will pocket at least £97million in combined prize money and participation fees.
It was the second piece of silverware of the season for the Blues and the second trophy won during Maresca’s tenure, following the Europa Conference League in May.
“No words,” a delighted Maresca said after the match. “For the players, they deserve the moment.
“For me, we won the game in the first 10 minutes. In the first 10 minutes, we set the tempo, set the play we wanted to play. We were very good.
“Then, unfortunately, with the weather conditions it is not easy to continue for 90 minutes. But I think we won the game in the first 10 minutes.”
Asked to speak about Palmer’s exceptional individual display, Maresca said: “Today we found a position for him where there was more space for him to attack. The effort from all the players has been fantastic.”
The Italian said about Chelsea’s future: “I’m very excited — but a bit more excited that we have three weeks off now!”
