Chelsea got off to a great start in the Club World Cup after beating Los Angeles FC 2-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday night.
Pedro Neto opened the scoring for Chelsea shortly after the half-hour mark with a well-taken goal.
Since joining Chelsea from Wolverhampton Wanderers last summer, the winger has come up with some big contributions for Enzo Maresca‘s side.
Saudi Arabian clubs are now interested in Neto, who had a lot of people talking after his strike against LAFC.
Michael Brown in awe of Pedro Neto’s piece of skill in Chelsea vs Los Angeles FC
Former Premier League midfielder Michael Brown was commentating on Chelsea’s clash against LAFC and praised Neto for his goal and the piece of skill he performed just before scoring.
The 25-year-old did a little chop to get the ball back onto his stronger foot before slotting past Hugo Lloris.
While commentating on the Club World Cup fixture for Channel 5 (16/06/2025 at 20:35), the ex-Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur player said: “The ball in behind from Nicolas Jackson was key, that has been the option for Chelsea on a few occasions.
“Then the little chop inside from Pedro Neto is real quality. The touch is perfect and then the awareness to put the finish inside the near post. The finish tells you everything about what he’s got.”
Neto will be an important player for Maresca at this tournament, with the Chelsea manager not having too many wide options at the moment.
Jadon Sancho has now returned to Manchester United, which coincides with Chelsea’s failure to sign Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund.
Enzo Maresca impressed with Pedro Neto
After a season where he was able to stay fit and happy to play out of position, Neto impressed Maresca. At times, he had to play up front, though that should not be necessary next term following Liam Delap’s arrival.
All in all, the 2024/25 campaign was a good one for the Portugal international and his manager.
Maresca has tasted success at Chelsea after winning the Conference League last month, but the club will now be desperate for the Italian to deliver the Club World Cup trophy.
Chelsea will earn a lot of money if they manage to win the tournament, with the Blues already receiving cash just for participating.
