Cole Palmer shone brightly, but 60-touch maestro dictates Chelsea’s Europa Conference League triumph - opinion

Palmer produced some magic to grab two assists in the space of five minutes, completely turning the tie on its head, leaving Chelsea in the lead late in the game.

Palmer’s contribution was to the delight of Chelsea, but most definitely Maresca, who has faced criticism this season.

However, one player’s exceptional contribution hasn’t been spoken about enough.

Enzo Fernandez bossed the Conference League final

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has been one of the first names on Maresca’s team sheet all season, with the Argentine racking up 46 appearances in all competitions.

Fernandez dictated the tempo and did both sides of the game, as he always does, arguably having the biggest impact in the match.

He grabbed Chelsea’s first goal of the evening, with a perfectly placed header off a wonderful cross from Palmer, dragging his side back into the tie.

After Jadon Sancho scored Chelsea’s third, Fernandez helped put the icing on the cake as he assisted his side’s fourth and final goal to clinch the trophy.

Fernandez proves finally repays £106m fee

Enzo Fernandez joined the Blues in 2023 for £106m from Portuguese side Benfica, with the price tag heaping pressure on the midfielder to perform.

There was a lot of hype around Fernandez’s arrival at Stamford Bridge that year, due to his stand-out performance in his country’s World Cup-winning team.

Premier League pundits have criticised Fernandez in the past, but now the midfield maestro is proving his doubters wrong one game at a time.

Fernandez will be looking to continue this season’s success at Chelsea next year, with the club now competing in the Champions League again.

He and his side are carrying dangerous momentum, and will be a team to look out for in the 25/26 season.