Nicolas Jackson’s red card for a terrible tackle compounded a miserable Club World Cup defeat for Chelsea against Flamengo. The jubliant Brazilian side, who have brought thousands of their fans to the US, scored three times in the second half to cancel out Pedro Neto’s first-half strike in a 3-1 victory.
Neto put Chelsea ahead with a smart finish but Enzo Maresca’s side never looked comfortable in Philadelphia. Former Manchester City defender Danilo set up Bruno Henrique and then scored for himself in the space of three minutes to complete an eye-catching turnaround. Jackson’s horror tackle on the veteran ex-Premier League star left Chelsea with an emormous task that they never seemed likely to complete. With Cole Palmer, Reece James and Enzo Fernandez all struggling, the west Londoners conceded a third through Wallace Yan.
See how Express Sport rated each Chelsea player below…
Robert Sanchez – 7
Sanchez is a lightning rod for plenty of Chelsea fans but this was another very good performance from the goalkeeper. A couple of excellent saves kept the score down, just as the Spaniard kept LAFC at bay earlier this week.
Malo Gusto – 5
A tough end to last season and Reece James’ return to full fitness have left Gusto at a crossroads. He seemed to struggle against winger Luiz Araujo.
Trevoh Chalobah – 5
Chelsea may need Chalobah to produce better performances if he is to win admirers in the transfer market. A move for the defender seems likely, with Napoli said to harbour an interest.
Levi Colwill – 7
Despite Chelsea’s defeat, this was a largely positive performance by Colwill. His clearance from the goal-line was a particular highlight.
Marc Cucurella – 4
Cucurella was lucky to remain on the pitch after a series of poor challenges, even when he was already on a yellow card.
Reece James – 5
Deployed in a conventional midfield role, James struggled to provide much control when Chelsea had possession. This was an experiment too far from Maresca.
Moises Caicedo – 6
With James struggling to get on the ball, Caicedo had the added burden of dictating possession against an aggressive press. Flamengo stormed the Ecuador international in numbers. He coped okay but needed better movement from those ahead of him.
Enzo Fernandez – 5
Chelsea needed Fernandez deployed a little deeper against Flamengo’s press. Instead he played as Chelsea’s furthest forward midfielder and was rarely found by those behind him. The result was that he kept moving deeper to find the ball and left his side with fewer passing options ahead.
Cole Palmer – 4
Palmer’s form has nosedived off the cliff this year. Fatigue perhaps comes into play, but there is also a sense that the England international is lacking the self-confidence that backed up his explosion in his first 18 months at Stamford Bridge. If Chelsea are to go all the way in the US, Palmer must improve.
Pedro Neto – 7
Neto has been Chelsea’s best player at the Club World Cup. He opened the scoring with an excellent finish and produced a couple of Chelsea’s other better moments.
Liam Delap – 6
There is plenty to like about Delap but he grew frustrated as the game progressed, particularly having struggled to get on the ball. He was deservedly booked for a follow-through on his full Chelsea debut.
Substitutes
Nicolas Jackson (for Delap, 64) – 2
A horror challenge only four minutes after his introduction saw Jackson sent off for the second time in as many months. Chelsea had little hope of turning this game around after that point and went on to concede a third goal. A lack of discipline will not win Jackson many fans in his battle with Delap for the No. 9 shirt.
Romeo Lavia (for James, 64) – 5
Chelsea’s performance did not improve after Lavia replaced James.
Marc Guiu (for Palmer, 82) – N/A
Guiu had little impact after replacing the disappointing Palmer.
Noni Madueke (for Fernandez, 82) – N/A
A wayward free kick was Madueke’s only contribution following his introduction.