Having already secured their spot in next season’s UEFA Europa League via a sixth-placed finish in LaLiga, Betis looked full of confidence in the early stages.
Los Verdiblancos’ positive start was duly rewarded in the ninth minute when Isco’s clever pass across the box was drilled into the bottom corner by Abde Ezzalzouli for his sixth Conference League goal of the season.
Buoyed by the breakthrough, Betis nearly doubled their lead just five minutes later, only for Marc Bartra’s curled effort to be tipped over the bar by Filip Jorgensen.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side continued to look dangerous in the final third, and they spurned another glorious chance to extend their advantage, with Johnny Cardoso firing wastefully over when well-placed in the box.
Determined to snap a nine-match losing streak for English sides against Spanish opposition in UEFA finals, Chelsea went in pursuit of an equaliser before half-time, but despite a speculative strike from Pedro Neto, clear-cut openings came at a premium, as Betis maintained their lead at the break.
Enzo Marseca’s men upped the ante at the start of the second period, with the introduction of captain Reece James injecting a spark into the Blues’ attacking build-up.
A leveller soon followed in the 65th minute when Palmer’s inviting delivery was glanced into the far corner by Enzo Fernandez.
Armed with the momentum, Chelsea completed their turnaround just five minutes later, as a superb piece of dribbling and a whipped cross from Palmer teed up Nicolas Jackson for a simple close-range finish beyond Adrian.
Stunned by the Blues’ quickfire double, Betis desperately looked to regroup heading into the final quarter-hour.
However, it was Maresca’s side who added a decisive third in the 83rd minute, as substitutes Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jadon Sancho combined, allowing the latter to sweep a sublime strike into the top corner.
That clinched the victory for Chelsea, who added further gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time through Moises Caicedo’s deflected effort, sealing a fifth successive win in a European final for the West London club.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Cole Palmer (Chelsea)