The Blues have been the dominant force in the competition all season, losing just once from the league phase onwards and for much of the European campaign, they have played a ‘B’ side to go alongside their Premier League campaign.
On the night, it was Cole Palmer - with two assists - and Moises Caicedo - with the fourth goal - who got them over the line, two stalwarts of a season that has seen them not only lift their first European trophy since winning the Champions League back in 2021 but also qualify for that competition after finishing fourth in the Premier League at the weekend.
Christopher Nkunku was their top scorer in the competition, having scored seven goals in 11 games for Chelsea, something he struggled to replicate in the Premier League.
Chelsea’s road to final was relatively serene. After finishing top of the league phase with six wins from six, they faced FC Copenhagen in the round of 16, beating the Danish side both home and away to make the quarter-finals.
This saw them face Legia Warsaw. After winning the first leg 3-0, club captain Reece James chastised his side after losing the second leg 2-1, admitting they had been disrespectful to the competition with their performance.
Those words were evidently ringing in the side’s ears for their semi-final against Swedish side Djurgarden, where they went through with a 5-1 aggregate victory and that form carried through to the final.
That final started in nightmare fashion when they went 1-0 down early, but a stunning second-half display saw them score four and secure the trophy.
Betis fall just short
For Real Betis, they had a more strenuous run to the final. They qualified 15th from the league phase and needed wins over Gent, Vitoria Guimaraes, Jagellonia and perennial Conference League finalists Fiorentina to reach the showpiece event in Poland.
But their defeat to Chelsea capped off a season where Europa League football will be back in Seville given their league finish, meaning despite the lack of silverware, it was a campaign of progress for the Andalucian club.