A Complete Performance: Takeaways From Chelsea's Dominant Club World Cup Win | OneFootball

Chelsea avoided any scares and comfortably dispatched ES Tunis 3–0 to move on to the round of 16 in the Club World Cup.

Needing only a draw to advance, Chelsea didn't allow any nerves to creep in and essentially ended the game with two late first half goals. Tosin Adarabioyo headed in the Blues' opener before Liam Delap opened his Chelsea account with a smooth move and finish.

The Blues controlled proceedings in the second half, offering rest to key players before academy graduate Tyrique George added a third to complete a mature performance from Enzo Maresca's side.

Despite finishing second in the group behind Flamengo, Chelsea might've gotten the easier side of the bracket. The Blues avoided Bayern Munich and will play Benfica in the round of 16 and would face the winner of Botafogo vs. Palmeiras were they to advance to the quarterfinals.

For now, tonight was by far Chelsea's best performance of the tournament, one that should serve as a building block for what's to come.

Takeaways from the game below.

Chelsea's Conference League Core Answer the Call

Maresca made eight changes to the XI that took the pitch and fell vs. Flamengo last Friday, with only Malo Gusto, Enzo Fernández and Delap repeating in the starting lineup.

The decision to make wholesale changes from game-to-game was a common occurrence for Chelsea during 2024–25, where Maresca habitually fielded an alternative side in Conference League and domestic matches. The Italian repeated the formula and it worked out well overall.

Filip Jörgensen, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Benoît Badiashile, Josh Acheampong and Christopher Nkunku are all players that struggled to get into the team in Premier League games but were Conference League regulars. They all started vs. ES Tunis as Chelsea secured their place in the round of 16.

The decision to rotate offered some much-needed rest to key players that looked exhausted in the game vs. Flamengo. In a can't-lose-match, fringe players with uncertain futures with the Blues answered the call.

After getting more time to recover, expect Chelsea regulars like Levi Colwill, Reece James, Moisés Caicedo and Cole Palmer to return to the lineup in the knockout rounds.

Liam Delap Announces His Arrival

After two promising appearances to begin his Chelsea career, Delap finding the back-of-the-net for the first time as a Blue was the highlight of the night.

Delap looked menacing during his hour-long performance, constantly making runs into space to begin attacks, positioning himself well to be able to receive the ball in dangerous areas and scoring a wonderful goal to cap off a strong display in a pivotal match.

It's fair to say Delap has been perhaps the biggest bright spot for Chelsea during the Club World Cup. He's already registered two goal involvements, with an assist on his debut in the opening game. But tonight, Delap had a complete performance where he showed everything he can bring to the table as Chelsea's No. 9.

There's plenty of hope placed on the shoulders of the 22-year-old former Ipswich Town centre forward. With Nicolas Jackson still suspended for the round of 16 clash vs. Benfica, Delap will get another chance to start and lead Chelsea's attack.

It might be too early to make any conclusions, but Chelsea fans can only hope Delap continues his strong start and puts an end to any talk of the No. 9 curse.

Chelsea's Midfield Potential on Full Display

Fernández captained Chelsea, bagged two assists to up his season tally to 16 and was one of the best players on the pitch. Then, the Argentine gave way in the second half for the highly-anticipated Chelsea debut of Andrey Santos, who assisted George for the Blues' third.

The 21-year-old Brazilian was fantastic for Chelsea's sister club Strasbourg in Ligue 1, playing a key role in the team's return to European competitions for the first time in 20 years. Signed for the Blues in Jan. 2023, Santos is expected to fight for a prominent role under Maresca next campaign.

Elsewhere, Romeo Lavia was solid once again and has seemingly left behind his injury woes. He was replaced by 20-year-old newcomer Dario Essugo, a physical player with plenty of promise.

Chelsea dominated the game from midfield without even unleashing Caicedo, who was named the club's player of the season.

At 24-years-old, Fernández is the oldest player of this core group, so there's still plenty of room for improvement from all of them.

Maresca will have a wealth of midfield options come the start of next season. If he manages to extract the full-potential of these young players, then Chelsea's midfield could be dominant for years to come.

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