Delap shines on Chelsea debut, beats LAFC 2-0 in Club World Cup

Chelsea began their FIFA Club World Cup 2025 campaign with a 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC on Monday, though the atmosphere was notably subdued at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with only 22,137 fans in attendance in a venue that seats over 71,000.

The match marked the debut of Liam Delap, Chelsea’s £30 million summer signing from Ipswich, and the 21-year-old made an immediate impact. His intelligent movement and link-up play set up Enzo Fernandez for a simple second-half finish following a pinpoint cross. Earlier, Pedro Neto had opened the scoring with a composed near-post strike after breaking free in the first half.

Despite Chelsea’s win, their performance was far from dominant. LAFC — led by World Cup winners Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris — created several chances through Denis Bouanga and substitute David Martinez, but lacked the clinical edge to convert.

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Chelsea with a 3-2 comeback win vs. West Ham at Stamford Bridge

Off to a great start. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/l4t0MhLMle

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 16, 2025

Chelsea’s next fixture in the US will be against Flamengo on Friday, while LAFC will face Esperance Tunis.