Joao Pedro perfect, Christopher Nkunku awful – Chelsea ratings in win v Fluminense

Chelsea cruised to the Club World Cup final thanks to two superb goals from Joao Pedro on his full debut for his new side.

The ex-Brighton man only joined up with the Blues’ squad midway through the tournament, but Liam Delap’s suspension and Nicolas Jackson‘s poor form left Enzo Maresca with little choice but to start the Brazilian against his former side.

That decision paid dividends as Pedro scored a beautiful curling effort in the 18th minute, before smashing a second-half effort off the underside of the crossbar past the 44-year-old Fabio, doubling Chelsea’s lead and sending them into the CWC final.

The Blues will now face one of PSG or Real Madrid, with the two European giants facing off on 9 July, before the final itself takes place on Sunday, 13 July.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca smiling in front of Stamford Bridge
Enzo Maresca will have been delighted with his team’s performance. Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media

Chelsea cruise to CWC final

Robert Sanchez – 4

Shaky. Sanchez is a talented shot-stopper, but his decision-making is questionable at best. Almost gifted Fluminense an equaliser in the first half after failing to come off his line, before Cucurella came to the rescue.

Malo Gusto (off for James 68′) – 6

Should have scored with a header in the first half. The Frenchman may not be the game-changer that Reece James is, but Gusto offers a defensive solidity that benefitted Chelsea immensely.

Tosin Adarabioyo – 4

Stretched thin. Adarabioyo is usually the calmest player on the pitch, but the frenetic nature of the game often left the former Fulham man chasing shadows as Fluminense counter-attacked in a ferocious manner.

Trevoh Chalobah Chelsea looking serious and focused
Credit: Imago

Chalobah struggles for Chelsea against Fluminense

Trevoh Chalobah – 3

Lucky. Seemingly andled the ball and gave away a penalty, only for VAR to come to the defender’s rescue to overturn the referee’s on-field decision.

Marc Cucurella – 8

Lively. Cucurella was brilliant for the Blues in the 2024/25 season, and the Spaniard offers so much both in attack and defence. Cleared the ball off the line in the first half, sparing Sanchez’s embarrassment.

Moises Caicedo – 8

Returning to the side after serving a suspension, the Ecuadorian picked up where he left off from and was brilliant as a disruptor in Chelsea’s midfield, but went off before the final whistle with an ankle injury.

Enzo Fernandez (off for Santos 86′) – 7

Suffered a blow to the head early in the first half but managed to regain himself and put in a strong performance.

Christopher Nkunku (off for Dewsbury-Hall 86′) – 2

Absent. Nkunku looks destined for a Chelsea exit this summer, and the Frenchman struggled to have any impact in an unfamiliar position as a right-winger.

Cole Palmer – 5

Deft touches and silky passes from the England international helped mask the lack of cutting edge in Palmer’s passing and shooting against Fluminense.

Pedro Neto Chelsea
Pedro Neto was used in an unfamiliar left-wing role against Fluminense. (Credit Imago)

Pedro Neto impresses for Chelsea

Pedro Neto (off for Madueke 68′) – 8

Tireless. In the blazing New York heat, many of the Blues’ stars flagged, but Neto found the energy to rampage up-and-down the left flank all game long.

Joao Pedro (off for Jackson 60′) – 10 – Player of the Match

Superb. Pedro joined from Brighton this summer and made his first start against his former club after Delap earned a suspension in the quarter-final match against Palmeiras. The ex-Brighton man scored a brilliant effort to open the scoring, before scoring a breath-taking second.

Substitutes

Nicolas Jackson (on for Pedro 60′) – 6

Jackson came off the bench and delivered an energetic performance, and the striker was unfortunate not to score soon after coming on, but also wasted the chance to hand Palmer a late tap in as he blasted into the side-netting.

Noni Madueke (on for Neto 68′) – 5

In what could be one of the English winger’s final games for the club, Madueke failed to have any real impact from the bench.

Nicolas Jackson Chelsea
Jackson is now under pressure from Pedro (Credit Imago)

Reece James (on for Gusto 68′) – 7

Delightful to watch as always, James helped slow down proceedings and delivered a very mature performance for his side.

Andrey Santos (on for Fernandez 86′) – 6

The game was pretty much over by the time the Brazilian midfielder was introduced, but his defensive solidity makes him a useful late-game substitute.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (on for Nkunku 86′) – 6

Very much a forgotten man at Chelsea, the ex-Leicester midfielder did not have enough time to have an impact on proceedings.