Enzo Fernandez and Reece James react strongly to Liam Delap’s message after his Chelsea debut
Liam Delap made a significant impact on his debut for Chelsea as they beat Los Angeles FC 2-0 in their Club World Cup opener.
Chelsea showed no signs of a hangover from their UEFA Conference League victory over Real Betis on 28 May, and produced a confident, comfortable performance to put the MLS side to the sword in Atlanta.
Goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez in either half proved enough to deliver three points for the Blues, taking them joint-top of Group D after Flamengo also beat Esperance de Tunis 2-0 on Monday.
Enzo Maresca‘s side came up against two former Premier League stars in Hugo Lloris and ex-Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud, and were also able to bring on two of their own new faces in the second half.
Delap delivers five-word message after dazzling Chelsea debut
The Club World Cup has given Chelsea fans an earlier-than-usual opportunity to watch Delap feature in competitive matches for the Blues after his £30million move from relegated Ipswich was completed.
Delap travelled to the US for the tournament instead of featuring for England in the Under-21 Euros this summer, and came off the bench for Nicolas Jackson in the 64th minute to make his Chelsea debut.
Jackson’s position as Chelsea’s first-choice striker is already under threat after Delap excelled against LAFC, and marked his bow with the assist for Fernandez’s goal in the 79th minute to seal the victory.
After the match, Delap posted a message on Instagram (16 June) to mark his debut which said; “First minutes with the boys”, which was liked by Chelsea players including Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah.
Furthermore, their second goalscorer Fernandez left a comment of two ‘applause’ and ‘strong-arm’ emojis, while Chelsea’s current Borussia Dortmund loanee Carney Chukwuemeka also said: “LD!”
Does Delap solve Chelsea’s number nine problem?
Although Delap’s arrival at Stamford Bridge has seen him awarded the seemingly cursed number nine shirt, an assist within 15 minutes of his first appearance is a good sign for Chelsea’s new frontman.
Jackson’s red card against Newcastle in Chelsea’s third-last Premier League match of the season means he’ll be suspended for the first game of next term, and that will give Delap an automatic starting berth.
A starting role is therefore Delap‘s to lose going into the new campaign, and with next season also seeing Chelsea return to the Champions League, his stock could rise even further on the European stage.