Chelsea ‘had to win’ Conference League title – Reece James

Chelsea overcame a flat first half to secure the Conference League crown with a 4-1 victory over Real Betis on Wednesday, sealing a preseason 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.

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“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 Fernández and Nicolas Jackson, before Jadon Sancho and Moisés 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.”