What Pedro Neto did to Nicolas Jackson as Noni Madueke delivers clear Chelsea transfer message

In front of a crowd which made Covid-19 lockdown matches look full, Chelsea got their revamped Club World Cup off to the perfect start. Playing their first match since December 2021, when they beat Palmeiras on penalties in the final, this low-key group stage clash was mainly a non-event.

Played at the admittedly glorious Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, which Chelsea have been to several times before during pre-season, this was a long way from Gianni Infantino and FIFA’s dream. It was, after two days of much more impressive turnouts than had been expected given the pre-competition buildup, quite the comedown.

In the foreground of ramped-up ticket prices, questionable scheduling, and general uncertainty over just where this month of summer football stands in the wider landscape of a packed calendar and hyper-meaning, there was more mass embarrassment and cringe than much else. If it’s what the world governing body imagined, then most will want to get off here.

The individual player walkouts seemed to take an age as names echoed around the mostly empty ground. It was hardly the sort of reception Chelsea were pitched when the tournament was thought up.

That didn’t matter for Chelsea. They hit their stride, kept the ball, and secured a victory which puts them in a strong position to qualify from the group which had been the expectation.

Here, football.london has a look at some of the incidents and moments that might have been bypassed initially.

Madueke transfer message

After Liam Delap was signed, Chelsea spent much of the opening weeks of the summer window looking at bringing in a left winger (and goalkeeper). After failing to agree a new deal with Jadon Sancho, and uncertainty remaining over Mykhailo Mudryk’s short and long-term future, it is clear why.

Noni Madueke had filled in on his opposite side whilst Pedro Neto also prefers the right. Tyrique George can play there but is still raw. After Chelsea looked at Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens in January, as well as the more ambitious hopes of Nico Williams, it was evident that they would be going back in.

They couldn’t get Gittens over the line before the Club World Cup so started how the season finished. Neto on the right and Madueke filling in on the left. Given it was only hours before kick off that reports of initial talks with Lyon over exciting 20-year-old Malick Fofana, attention was always going to be on Madueke.

The Englishman has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge and ended last season poorly. He had started it well but tailed off, suffered an injury, and struggled for output. Although he did make one-on-one progress, Madueke did not provide in the final third.

This was much the same here. Madueke was slow from the get-go, taking a series of poor touches and not giving much back out of possession. When he did break through, the effort was well saved by Hugo Lloris.

It was notable that Neto found the opener, flying behind the LAFC defence to latch onto Jackson’s pass. Where Madueke had a disappointing time, his teammate in his preferred position got the plaudits.

Being harsh, you could say that Madueke showed why Chelsea are keen to try and upgrade on the position. He is better on the right and no more than an occasional option on the left.

It should also be pointed out that Madueke has gone from a long domestic season, straight into playing for his country, and then out to the Club World Cup. It is the latest chapter in an exhausting 12 months which has offered very little break for Madueke.

Welcome back

Chelsea have been common frequenters of USA on pre-season tours in recent years. They have been there in the past three summers before this.

It is usually well into July before they go, and matches are often more high profile that this, and never played at 3pm in the afternoon of a weekday. That explains the crowd, which we can’t really use as a moment missed because it was so glaring.

What can be compared and seen is how Chelsea fared here, almost 12 months on from Maresca’s problematic first trip. In his first pre-season, the Italian drew to then-League One side Wrexham before being well beaten 4-1 by Celtic. They did win 3-0 against Club America but found themselves 2-0 down in a 4-2 loss to Manchester City a few days later.

Real Madrid also won 2-1 against them before the final friendly, played at Stamford Bridge back in England, ended 1-1 with Inter thanks to a last minute Lesley Ugochukwu equaliser. Back then, Chelsea were learning the ropes under Maresca and had Romeo Lavia returning to fitness.

Reece James had only just come into the team and Wesley Fofana was being eased back. There was nevertheless some real worries. Carlo Ancelotti suggested that Chelsea shouldn’t use a line anywhere near as high.

After a full season under Maresca, Chelsea were much more locked and loaded here. They controlled possession and played with a full-strength team. No new signings started as Maresca looked to get off on the right foot. He chose familiarity and rhythm, something which helped Chelsea to end last season so well.

Six of the starters also started against Wrexham, with 10 of the 11 from a year ago in the squad. Eight of those can be described as expected to stay at Chelsea over the coming transfer window.

Maresca has found consistency in selection and opted with it here, even though players such as Andrey Santos, Enzo Fernandez, and Trevoh Chalobah will all say they might be in the best XI. Liam Delap will argue the same.

This was a defined Chelsea with superior player quality. They have an identity now that was missing last time in America and was still being formed. Chelsea are riding a pretty nice wave (on the field, at least) from last season. That came through as they controlled LAFC in a way they simply couldn’t to opponents in the early days of Maresca’s reign.

Neto gives back

In late October, during Chelsea’s surge to being second in the Premier League and spoken of as genuine title challengers, Jackson scored a brilliant goal against Newcastle United on the break at Stamford Bridge. Neto was released down the left by a sublime Cole Palmer pass and within seconds, Jackson was tapping home from inside the Newcastle box.

Swap Neto’s pass to Jackson for a hilarious piece of trickery to send Ryan Hollingshead back to LA, and there is a big similarity between the two goals. This time it’s Jackson turning on the halfway line to release Neto, who cut back inside, selling Hollingshead with a fake shot, before darting in the finish at the near post.

It was Chelsea at their transitional best, a style of play many spent most of 2025 crying out for more. Once Neto had fired in, he turned quickly to look for Jackson. Running towards the striker, Neto aimed a kiss, blowing it from his hand, and then went over to properly celebrate.

For Neto, it wasn’t the only time he had a lot of success sprinting down the line and causing carnage. Linking well with Jackson, who had held the ball up in the first place.

A win sealed by a goal with a kiss to round it off. A nice start for Chelsea, and delivered with a touch of Portuguese flair.