Chelsea opened their FIFA Club World Cup campaign with an authoritative 2-0 win over LAFC at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Tuesday.
Despite the subdued crowd, the Blues delivered a professional performance, sending a strong signal of their ambitions in the global competition.
From the first whistle, Chelsea looked determined to impose themselves. LAFC began with high energy, but it was short-lived as the Premier League side gradually gained control, dominating possession and dictating tempo.
Cole Palmer, now wearing the famed number 10 shirt, was at the heart of Chelsea’s creative engine. He nearly opened the scoring with a curling shot around the 20-minute mark that just missed the target.
The opening goal eventually came in the 34th minute, highlighting Chelsea’s attacking fluidity. Nicolas Jackson played a clever through ball to Pedro Neto, who cut inside and slotted the ball past LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris with composure. The goal gave Chelsea a well-earned advantage going into halftime.
LAFC’s troubles mounted with an injury to forward Nathan Ordaz, who had to be substituted for David Martinez. Meanwhile, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca showed his intent to rotate wisely throughout the tournament.
He made key halftime substitutions, bringing on Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez for Reece James and Romeo Lavia, ensuring squad freshness. Former Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud, now with LAFC, featured against his former club but had little impact.
Chelsea remained in control after the break. Jackson came close to doubling the lead with a near-post header, while LAFC managed a rare moment of threat through Denis Bouanga, whose fierce strike was well saved by Robert Sanchez.
In the 64th minute, Maresca introduced new signing Liam Delap in place of Jackson. The decision paid off quickly. Delap delivered an accurate low cross that found Enzo Fernandez at the far post, and the Argentine made no mistake, tapping in to secure a second goal.
The final whistle confirmed a smooth 2-0 victory for Chelsea, who will take confidence from this controlled and composed performance.
With momentum on their side, the Blues now look to build on this result as they advance further in the Club World Cup.