Chelsea vs PSG, Club World Cup Final player ratings; Who ran the show in New Jersey?

There were stars on the field as we prepare to deal out player ratings from Chelsea’s 3-0 triumph over Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup Final on Sunday, but let’s start with the man who bossed it before the game started in New Jersey.

Enzo Maresca’s tactics took hold of the game from the opening kickoff and PSG — authors of one of the finest seasons ever assembled — saw the game essentially gone before they knew it.

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Cole Palmer, Malo Gusto, Joao Pedro, and Reece James were relentless in attack on the right side, while Maresca’s directive to the right side might’ve been best summed up as
“Don’t let Hakimi get loose.” And it worked.

The Italian now has two trophies as Chelsea boss including the first-ever title of this expanded and sure-to-be even more celebrated tournament. On a day that saw Robert Sanchez join Palmer as massively-impressive performers, Maresca deserves his flowers.

Chelsea player ratings from Club World Cup Final

Robert Sanchez 9: — An exceptional save to deny Desire Doue in the first 20 minutes was just the start of a commanding day in the 18. Chelsea’s perceived weak spot was just fine, making six saves and 11 recoveries.

Malo Gusto: 8.5 — Chelsea’s right side was everything to their success, and the choice to start Gusto and James proved brilliant.

Levi Colwill: 7.5 — What a ball to spring Palmer’s second goal, and he was so strong in front of Sanchez

Trevoh Chalobah: 6.5 — A quieter day than Colwill, but far from an issue

Marc Cucurella: 8 — A terrific early intervention to deny a PSG tap-in when the game was still scoreless. Lived rent-free in PSG’s collective well before the hair tug that caused the early end of Joao Neves’ day.

Reece James (Off 77'): 7 — Very good before leaving with an impact injury. Was there to celebrate, so not a ton of reason for worry.

Moises Caicedo: 6.5 — Dealt well with an early yellow card.

Enzo Fernandez (Off 61'): 6 — Left with an injury on what was more of a day for taking up positions rather than affecting play with the ball.

Pedro Neto (Off 77'): 7 — Quiet day for the Portuguese in terms of show-stopping stuff, but he joined Cucurella in keeping Hakimi oh-so-quiet.

Cole Palmer: — His first half was as close as you’ll get to a prime Messi performance. The Englishman hit two precise goals before a defense-bewildering run and assist to Joao Pedro.

Joao Pedro (Off 68'): — He is going to go high in your Fantasy Premier League drafts, guys.

Subs
Andrey Santos (On 61'): 6.5 — Nothing to fault from a solid half-hour.
Liam Delap (On 68'): 7.5 — Nearly scored a stunning goal within a minute of subbing into the game for Joao Pedro, but Donnarumma did so well flying to his left. Led the game in xG despite the length of his 22-minute shift.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (On 77'): N/A
Christopher Nkunku (On 77'): N/A

PSG player ratings from Club World Cup Final

Gianluigi Donnarumma: 6 — Solid saves on Delap among his 2.93 xG faced.

Nuno Mendes: 5 — Stumbled for one of Palmer’s goals, but was otherwise steady.

Lucas Beraldo: 5.5 — He’s not going to like the exceptional views he got of both halves of Palmer’s brace. He was very good in possession but his actions on the first two goals will stay with fans.

Marquinhos: 6 — Nine recoveries, and hard luck to see a slight turn off his calf turn into a Palmer goal (which might’ve been goal-bound anyway).

Achraf Hakimi: 5 — One of the world’s elite footballers — creme de la creme, even — was essentially silenced by Cucurella and friends.

Fabian Ruiz: 5.5 — Ran out of gas after putting on a midfield masterclass against Madrid.

Vitinha: 6 — Cooked by Pedro on Chelsea’s third goal, but his range of passing was on full display and he was on the ball a game-high 115 times.

Joao Neves: 4 — Loses at least a point for his hair pull of Cucurella, even if the game was already settled by that late moment. Tied with Beraldo for the most defensive actions in the game with 10.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Off 58'): 5 — A single shot, off-target, as the Georgian phenom could only manufacture 0.03 xG+xA.

Ousmane Dembele: 6 — Kept out of the game by his own midfield, Dembele created one chance but was otherwise absent.

Desire Doue: 6.5 — Super bright early, his two shots on target were more impressive given PSG’s struggles to find the dangerous places in Chelsea’s system.

Subs

Bradley Barcola (On 58'): 6.5 — A bright spot off the bench, he managed to get a shot on Sanchez.
Senny Mayulu (On 73'): N/A
Warren Zaire-Emery (On 73'): N/A
Goncalo Ramos (On 73'): N/A