All of the talk was about Liam Delap after Chelsea got their FIFA Club World Cup campaign off to the perfect start on Monday.
The Blues were not at their vintage best but did enough to get the job done with a 2-0 win against Los Angeles FC at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Goals in either half from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez handed Chelsea three points in front of 22,000 supporters inside the 71,000-seater stadium.
Delap, making his Chelsea debut after signing for £30million from Ipswich Town earlier this month, came on for Nicolas Jackson with 64 minutes on the clock in Georgia and made quite the impact for the Blues. With just over 10 minutes left to play, Delap was found down the right channel and whipped a fine delivery into the box for Fernandez to control and then slot past Hugo Lloris.
The 22-year-old striker then took to social media moments after the final whistle to share his delight with his new adoring supporters. "First minutes with the boys," was what Delap wrote on his Instagram page, alongside several images of him in action in Atlanta. Fernandez was one of the numerous Chelsea players to like the photo and the Argentine even left a comment where he inserted the clapping and flexing emojis - summing up the striker's display.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca praised debutant Delap after the final whistle, before quickly switching the attention to the Blues' clash with Flamengo on Friday. Speaking on DAZN, Maresca said: "The good thing about Liam is he knows the way we want to play so the process is quite quick. Also we gave a chance to Dario Essugo which is another player we have, so it’s good for both of them."
Delap will be going head-to-head with Jackson this season for the No.9 spot at Stamford Bridge but the new Chelsea striker is relishing the competition. Speaking to DAZN post-match, the England Under-21 international said: "It’s a really happy feeling for me. I’m so excited to be here and to play my first game, and be able to contribute is a good feeling.
"The team have welcomed me really well. I have only had a few sessions here but I am excited for more. It is good to help the team but I want to score some as well."
He added: "It is always good to have competition, this is football. It is an incredible club and it is always going to be incredibly hard but you have to thrive off the competition."
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Club World Cup on DAZN
Watch the Club World Cup free on DAZN
The FIFA Club World Cup will see 32 of the world's best club teams including Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, PSG andBayern Munich play across 63 games from June 14-July 13.
Fans can watch every match live and for free by signing up to DAZN.