Enzo Maresca has “no doubt” that Liam Delap will score goals for Chelsea after the striker opened his account against Esperance last night.
Delap, a £30million signing from Ipswich, netted the second in a 3-0 win for the Blues at the Club World Cup as they progressed to a last-16 meeting with Benfica.
A much-changed line-up and stifling conditions meant it was a low-key encounter but Delap was the star with his goal coming shortly after Tosin Adarabioyo had put Chelsea ahead. Tyrique George added a third late on.
IT’S TWO! JUST THAT FAST FOR THE BLUES!@ChelseaFC with two goals in two minutes!
Catch the @FIFACWC | June 14 – July 13 | Every Game. Free. | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #ESTCHE pic.twitter.com/FbVPWuIGEn
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 25, 2025
Maresca impressed by Delap impact
“Against Flamengo, he had three clear chances to score goals,” Maresca said of Delap. “That is already a good feeling because it means he is in the right position and is there. We have no doubt Liam will score goals for us. No doubt about that.”
Delap has worked with Maresca before during their time at Manchester City and looks comfortable in the Italian’s system.
“We expected the process to be quick with Liam,” Maresca said. “The reason why is because we know him and he knows us with the way we play. For Dario [Essugo], Andrey [Santos] or Mamadou [Sarr] it is going to be a little bit more complicated and they need time because they don’t know exactly how we play.
“For Liam, the process can be quite quick, and he is a really good player.”
Heat makes rotation inevitable
Maresca made eight changes to the side that lost to Flamengo, and attributed the alterations to the heat with Philadelphia experiencing its hottest day in 31 years.
“I’m very happy,” he said. “We wanted the win to continue to build a winning mentality. And I think the players, they were good, and now we can think for the next one.
“It’s impossible not to rotate players because playing every three days in these conditions means it’s not possible for them to play every game.
“The ones that played were good and we’ve given some rest to Moi [Caicedo], Trev [Chalobah], Levi [Colwill], Cucu [Marc Cucurella], Cole [Palmer], Pedro [Neto] – many players. It’s important to recover the energy and try to win the next game.”
✅ Liam Delap’s first @ChelseaFC goal
✅ Through to the @FIFACWC Round of 16
💭 Ready to carry the weight of the #️⃣9️⃣?Catch the @FIFACWC | June 14 – July 13 | Every Game. Free. | https://t.co/i0K4eUu4lJ | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #ESTCHE pic.twitter.com/tZCisdxvJw
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 25, 2025
Flamengo’s late equaliser against LAFC meant they topped Group D with Chelsea second.
Maresca’s side travel to Charlotte to play Benfica on Saturday with Delap likely to start again after Nicolas Jackson’s suspension was extended to two games.
