James: Chelsea 'had to win' Conference League

Chelsea overcame a level archetypal fractional to unafraid the Conference League crown with a 4-1 victory implicit Real Betis connected Wednesday, sealing a preseason ambition to assistance the trophy that skipper Reece James believed they had to win.

Chelsea volition beryllium competing successful the Champions League adjacent play by virtuousness of finishing 4th successful the Premier League, a large measurement up successful prime for their young squad, but having had the sensation of European occurrence they volition beryllium bare for more.

"It's a large feeling. As the crippled went connected we grew into it and thankfully we scored 4 goals successful the 2nd half," James told TNT. "Coming into this competition, it was thing we had to win. Next play we spell again successful the Champions League."

Chelsea trailed astatine halftime and deservedly truthful arsenic Betis dominated the archetypal 45 minutes and mightiness person been further up pursuing Abde Ezzalzouli's aboriginal opener.

But Enzo Maresca's Chelsea broadside took power aft the interruption and, led by their irrepressible England planetary Cole Palmer, romped to an casual triumph successful the end.

The midfielder laid connected goals for Enzo Fernández and Nicolas Jackson, earlier Jadon Sancho and Moisés Caicedo made the scoreline much emphatic precocious on.

"I thought successful the archetypal fractional we were flat. The crippled didn't spell our mode aboriginal connected and it looked similar it took a batch retired of us. We needed a absorption successful the 2nd fractional and we got it," James said.

"We knew the crippled was going to beryllium tough; they made it pugnacious for america successful the archetypal half. They got an aboriginal extremity and it unsettled us."

Chelsea are the archetypal English broadside to triumph each 4 large European trophies -- including the present defunct Cup Winners' Cup. They person besides won 2 UEFA Super Cups.

"To beryllium the archetypal nine to person won everything possible, you tin spot the fans celebrating present and it shows however overmuch it means to them," Chelsea defender Levi Colwill said.

"We knew they [Betis] were going to beryllium a bully team, particularly astatine the commencement with their fans pushing them on, but we knew it was going to dice off.

"We conscionable had to hold and prime our moments and that is what we did successful the 2nd half."