Chelsea got their Club World Cup campaign under way with a 2-0 victory over MLS side LAFC in front of thousands of empty seats at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Slow ticket sales have been a big talking point at FIFA’s new-look tournament and just 22,137 were in attendance in a 71,000-capacity stadium to see Pedro Neto give Enzo Maresca’s side the lead in the 34th minute.
The Chelsea fans in Atlanta got their first glimpse of new £30m signing Liam Delap midway through the second half, and he made an instant impact, teeing up Enzo Fernandez as the Premier League side made a winning start in Group D.
Chelsea were made to work hard for their second goal but it eventually came as new signing Delap gave Chelsea fans a glimpse of what they might expect next season.
After combining with Cole Palmer, he almost made a second with his dazzling footwork on the byline but his pass into the box was cleared.
However, as Chelsea continued to probe in search of a two-goal cushion, they found it in the 79th minute. Delap got the assist as he hung a ball into the middle of the box and Fernandez was waiting to tap home and round off Chelsea’s win.
Reacting to Chelsea’s victory, Blues boss Enzo Maresca said: “Very good result.
“At this stage of the season it’s also normal that you have to manage different kinds of things. Overall I think the performance has been good and we won the game.”
