Despite his future almost certainly lying away from Stamford Bridge, it was Christopher Nkunku who scored the eventual winner to send Chelsea into the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup. His extra time goal set Enzo Maresca's side on their way to a dramatic 4-1 win.
Nkunku was substituted on at 10:47pm on Saturday night in the 79th minute but would have to wait over two-and-a-half hours before putting his side ahead. The game was stopped due to bad weather and persistent lightening strikes in Charlotte.
When the referee suspended the match with five minutes remaining, very few would have imagined it playing out as dramatically. Benfica won a stoppage time penalty to equalise before two of the introduced players by Maresca went on to score to book a place in the last eight.
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Palmeiras await. They will have Chelsea's Brazilian superstar of the future, or simply of later this summer, Estevao Willian, in their ranks. But it was another Brazilian who entered the spotlight pre-game.
Along with the news that Chelsea had finally agreed a deal for Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens, which will cost a total £55million if all add-ons are met, it emerged that fresh talks were advancing for Joao Pedro. He is one of the many attackers being considered still.
Mohammed Kudus, Hugo Ekitike, and Alejandro Garnacho are all of interest as well. After failing to agree a permanent contract with Jadon Sancho following his loan spell in west London, and Mykhailo Mudryk being indefinitely suspended, Chelsea are down two of their right-footed forwards.
Gittens plugs a gap on the left but there is uncertainty over Noni Madueke's future. Kudus and Pedro, in particular, are able to play across the frontline, which adds real value.
However, the same was said of Nkunku. Joao Felix also falls into the same camp. Neither are expected to be at Chelsea next season, certainly not on a permanent basis, at least, but should Pedro be signed, it would be three players filling the same role all on the books.
Given the cost of the trio (£45million for Felix, £52million on Nkunku, and a reported minimum of £60million for Pedro) this is an awful lot of money to have on players who are unlikely to coexist. Maresca found it hard enough to get Felix and Nkunku regular game time at the start of last season, and that was with Conference League rotation possibilities.
When Chelsea have Champions League football next year, the levels will be heightened and his squad management put to the test. Felix was let go six months after joining, whilst Nkunku almost went in January as well.
Neither player really found a defined spot under Maresca. Both can play on the left, behind a striker, or up front, but are best when operating as a No.10. That is Cole Palmer's position, so their opportunities are naturally limited before considering they would be competing against each other.
Add Pedro into that mix and it has the potential to unsettle things even more. The point to make here is that Felix is not in the plans for 2025/26 and was not taken to the Club World Cup, a massive indicator that he will not be used in the first-team squad.
Nkunku is there because he finished off last season with the squad. Maresca has played the Club World Cup as an extension of 2024/25 regardless of what the future might hold for certain players.
It has seen Andrey Santos' chances frustratingly cut and players such as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Malo Gusto afforded preference over those who may well be more beneficial to Chelsea moving forward. Regardless of whether this is the right ploy to take, it is clear that this is the direction.
If Pedro is to join Gittens and Liam Delap in making the move to SW6 then his arrival would surely end the careers of Felix and Nkunku in blue once and for all. The attention would quickly shift, if it hasn't already, to moving the unwanted players out.
Raheem Sterling, another left-sided option, is in the bomb squad along with Carney Chukwuemeka. They cost Chelsea an additional £60million combined. Ben Chilwell is not a forward but is also looking for a new home.
Maresca has always insisted that the exiled players are not in his thinking when it comes to squad numbers. The noise it creates, and the overall dynamics, are simply not helpful or economically viable for Chelsea at such huge costs.
Any potential deal for Pedro must kick start Chelsea's plans to sell their remaining forwards. Otherwise, it could become quite the mess.