Chelsea will play in Sunday’s Club World Cup final after beating Fluminense in convincing fashion.
The Blues recorded an impressive 2-0 win on Tuesday night against Fluminense, which sets up a meeting against Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid in the tournament’s final.
Chelsea banked another £22m after their semi-final victory at the Club World Cup, which has turned out to be quite a useful competition for them.
We’ve picked out the five biggest Chelsea winners from the victory over Fluminense…
Joao Pedro
Of course, Joao Pedro has to be the biggest winner from Chelsea’s triumph against Fluminense.
The 23-year-old attacker, making his first-ever Blues start, scored twice in the 2-0 result. It’s even better that they were both goals out of the top drawer.
Gareth Bale praised Pedro’s overall Chelsea performance because he put himself about for an hour and hit a well-taken brace.
Looking ahead to the weekend’s final, Pedro has surely nailed down a starting position in the No.9 spot ahead of Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson. We anticipate the attackers could actually push each other to new heights once next season begins.
Enzo Fernandez
Enzo Fernandez, 24, is quietly becoming one of the very best players in the Chelsea squad.
Yet again, the box-to-box midfielder delivered a strong performance in the semis. It included a brilliant assist for Pedro’s second goal with a clever forward pass with the outside of his boot.
Pedro praised Fernandez after Chelsea beat Fluminense, claiming he should have won the Player of the Match if not for him.
It’s another reminder that Fernandez is instrumental in all areas for Chelsea, leading from the front by wearing the captain’s armband when Reece James isn’t on the pitch.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Chances created | Successful passes | Duels won | Bookings |
| 6 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 220 | 20 | 0 |
Pedro Neto
Across the entire tournament so far, Pedro Neto has probably been Chelsea’s standout performer.
The £54m winger (Sky Sports), who can play anywhere across the attack, impressed as a left-winger in this week’s semi-final against Fluminense.
Neto, 25, looked too sharp and too tricky for the opposition side in the semis. In particular, the way he drives forward in possession with such directness is a nightmare for any full-back to try and defend against.
His latest performance underlined the fact that he should be an automatic starter in Enzo Maresca’s best XI, whether that’s on the left or right wing.
Marc Cucurella
Chelsea supporters are used to seeing Marc Cucurella churn out consistently high-quality performances, something he did again when facing Fluminense.
The 26-year-old left-back made an immense goal-line clearance to keep the Blues ahead during the first half. On top of that, he defended smartly throughout and was heavily involved in possession.
He’s in yet another final as he competes for more silverware. In the last year, he won a Euro final with the Spanish national team but suffered defeat in the Nations League final.
Tosin Adarabioyo
Finally, Blues centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo, 27, shone on his return to the starting line-up in midweek to replace the suspended Levi Colwill.
He’s proven that he’s the perfect squad player during his debut season in Chelsea colours, stepping in and out of the side with such authority. It’s no surprise to hear that Tosin is one of the leaders at Chelsea because he’s an experienced head guiding such a young group of players.
It feels like a real toss up between him and Chalobah over who starts next to Colwill in the final, but he’s certainly done himself no harm with his latest performance.
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