CHELSEA talisman Cole Palmer’s quiet second half of the season produced one goal in 22 games and a handful of assists but when they needed his creativity and guile the playmaker delivered a masterful performance to help them win the Conference League.

Chelsea trailed Real Betis 1-0 at halftime in the final on Wednesday having been subdued in the opening 45 minutes by the energy and pressing game of their opponents. Chelsea needed a way back and Palmer provided two perfect assists in five minutes to swing the momentum in their favour.

It was a quick-fire double blow from which Betis could not recover as Chelsea romped to a 4-1 win. The England midfielder fashioned a superb cross from the right that was perfectly placed for Enzo Fernandez to head home, before his quick feet and movement shook off a defender and created the space to cross for Nicolas Jackson to make it 2-1.

"We picked up the intensity and put in a good performance in the second half," Palmer said. "I was sick of getting the ball and just going backwards and sideways. "The first one (goal) there was a bit of space and I saw Enzo running. Second one, same again. I feel like we showed good character again to make the comeback."

His contribution is certainly appreciated by teammates. "If you saw what he did today it was crazy. Two (assists for) goals that completely changed the game. That's what he does," Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo said.

Palmer’s only goal since mid-January was a late spot-kick against Liverpool, but his ability to find the right pass, or pick a moment to up the tempo, makes him a man for the big occasion. The 23-year-old is famously short on words in interviews, but certainly not on talent and influence within this young Chelsea squad.

If they are to progress and challenge for the Premier League title, he is the player manager Enzo Maresca will build the team around. On a frenzied night in Wroclaw, when cool heads and quality were needed, Palmer showed just why.

"The bad run he had this season is going to make him a better player, no doubt. In the last third, he can decide games with a goal or an assist. And the two assists were very nice," Maresca said.

Meanwhile, Chelsea overcame a flat first half to secure the Conference League crown with a 4-1 victory over Real Betis on Wednesday, sealing a pre-season ambition to lift the trophy that captain Reece James believed they had to win.

Chelsea will be competing in the Champions League next season by virtue of finishing fourth in the Premier League, a major step up in quality for their young squad, but having had the taste of European success they will be hungry for more.

"It's a great feeling. As the game went on we grew into it and thankfully we scored four goals in the second half," James told TNT. "Coming into this competition, it was something we had to win. Next season we go again in the Champions League."

Chelsea trailed at halftime and deservedly so as Betis dominated the first 45 minutes and might have been further ahead following Abde Ezzalzouli’s early opener. But Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea side took control after the break and, led by their irrepressible England international Cole Palmer, romped to an easy win in the end.

The midfielder laid on goals for Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson, before Jadon Sancho and Moises Caicedo made the scoreline more emphatic late on."I thought in the first half we were flat. The game didn't go our way early on and it looked like it took a lot out of us. We needed a reaction in the second half and we got it," James said.

"We knew the game was going to be tough; they made it tough for us in the first half. They got an early goal and it unsettled us." Chelsea are the first English side to win all four major European trophies - including the now defunct Cup Winners' Cup. They have also won two UEFA Super Cups.

"To be the first club to have won everything possible, you can see the fans celebrating now and it shows how much it means to them," Chelsea defender Levi Colwill said.

"We knew they (Betis) were going to be a good team, especially at the start with their fans pushing them on, but we knew it was going to die off. "We just had to wait and pick our moments and that is what we did in the second half."