Chelsea beat LAFC 2-0 in their opening Club World Cup game. 

Chelsea beat Los Angeles FC 2–0 in their opening game at the Club World Cup. Pedro Neto scored the opener in the 34th minute before Enzo Fernandez doubled the Blues' lead with 10 minutes remaining.

Chelsea fans got their first chance to see new signing Liam Delap in action when he came on in the 64th minute. The 22-year-old was immediately involved and even earned an assist after perfectly timing his run to get in behind LA's defence.

Chelsea celebrate their second goal. Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images

Relive the action. 

It was a strong start to the game, with both sides moving the ball around the pitch with threatening intent. Chelsea, in particular, managed to exploit pockets of space in attacking areas as they tried to break down LAFC's defence.

Nicolas Jackson had the first real chance of the match in front of a sparse crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but his strike on the half-turn was comfortably saved by Hugo Lloris.

Chelsea gradually began to find their rhythm, knocking the ball around LAFC's box with purpose, although the American side made it difficult for the Blues to get in behind.

When Chelsea did manage to breach the Black and Gold's defensive line, they looked dangerous — with Noni Madueke forcing Lloris into a strong low save.

LAFC struggled to cope with Chelsea's high tempo, so they adjusted their tactics by dropping deeper and playing on the counter.

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

The tactical switch from head coach Steve Cherundolo worked as planned. It limited Chelsea's ability to create clear chances in the box and forced them to shoot from range.

However, Chelsea had players capable of scoring from distance — like Cole Palmer, whose curling effort from outside the area came agonisingly close.

After probing LAFC's defence, Chelsea finally took the lead through Pedro Neto, who produced a brilliant piece of trickery to cut inside and unleash a powerful low-driven strike that nestled inside the near post.

The Blues went into the break with a deserved lead, and although LAFC didn't look capable of getting themselves back into the game, the one-goal deficit meant a comeback was still entirely possible. 

Oliver Giroud, a Champions League winner with Chelsea in 2021, came on at the start of the second half to help LAFC get back into the game.

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

In the opening exchanges of the second half, both sides increased the tempo and traded chances, much like in a basketball game. LA's David Martinez curled a close-range effort just wide, before Jackson's header was blocked on the line by Timothy Tillman.

Denis Bouanga then fired a powerful strike at goal after shrugging off Neto, but it was well saved by Robert Sánchez.

Shortly after, Chelsea fans got their first glimpse of new signing Liam Delap, who was introduced in the 64th minute.

The 21-year-old nearly made an immediate impact, timing his run perfectly to get in behind the defence. However, his cutback, aimed at Moises Caicedo, was hammered clear by Eddie Segura. 

Delap continued to cause problems for LAFC. The forward made another well-timed run before delivering a cross into the box, which landed at the feet of Enzo Fernandez to tap into an empty net.

Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

Despite the American outfit's desire to get back into the game,  it seemed like an impossible task for them with 10 minutes left to go.  

But LAFC almost immediately responded through Bouanga, who, after being shoved inside the box and falling to the ground, swivelled to get a shot away that was saved by Sánchez.

That was the final piece of action in the game, with Chelsea content to keep possession and run down the clock.

It was the ideal start for Maresca's men who ran out 2-0 winners and managed to keep a clean sheet in their opening game of the competition.