Chelsea 2-0 Los Angeles FC: Enzo Fernandez and Pedro Neto see Blues start Club World Cup campaign on the right note - as new boy Liam Delap shines in front of three-quarters empty crowd in Atlanta

Whatever Georgia had on her mind, Chelsea’s Club World Cup opener it was not, with a curious spectacle unfolding in front of a sparse crowd at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Only 22,137 supporters turned up at the 75,000-capacity arena, with the Monday 3pm kick-off time and $50 price to watch the Premier League visitors not convincing too many to play hooky from work. There could be no sugarcoating this one. It was less than ideal for FIFA, especially given Atlanta United boast the best average attendances in the MLS at 44,000 per game, and a brutal look for a competition which cost DAZN around $1billion to secure the broadcasting rights.

Still, the swathes of vacant seats were hardly on Chelsea. They had to concentrate on the 11 chaps from Los Angeles in front of them, not the tens of thousands missing in the surrounds, and Enzo Maresca’s side won comfortably enough eventually.

They scored their first through Pedro Neto, and and their second via Enzo Fernandez after a splendid cross from Liam Delap, Chelsea's £30million man who debuted here when he replaced Nicolas Jackson as a substitute after 64 minutes.

Maresca went strong for those who did turn up here, relying on his regulars rather than throwing Delap or any of his other newbies into the starting line-up.

Jackson’s first chance to score came within five minutes when his improvised turn sent LAFC defender Eddie Segura to the Coca Cola museum down the road, but Hugo Lloris, the former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper, denied him with a strong hand.

Whereas last season Jackson was Chelsea's undisputed first-choice striker when fit, he must now earn that right, and it was his finessed footwork which set up Noni Madueke with a good opportunity to open the scoring. However, the winger, who can be a frustrating watch for fans given his occasional wastefulness, fired straight at Lloris.

When Palmer then picked up possession from 25 yards, he needed no second invitation to curl one, a slight deflection doing enough to send it on to the roof of Lloris’ goal.

This Club World Cup opener for Chelsea arrived 19 days after they beat Real Betis in the Conference League final in Wroclaw, Poland. Some players had secured a mini-break since then, but the majority spent that period with their national teams, Palmer and Madueke included.

They seemed energetic enough here, and so did Jackson after representing Senegal. Chelsea’s striker had the game on a string and it was in the 34th minute when he created the opener after dropping deep towards midfield. He held up the ball in front of Aaron Long, turned to face forward and set Neto free with a perfectly-weighted pass in behind.

A Cruyff turn from Neto sent Ryan Hollingshead sliding out of view as Chelsea’s winger composed himself, finding the bottom-left corner beyond Lloris for 1-0.

Part-owned by Will Ferrell and Magic Johnson, among others, LAFC turned to one of their high-profile players at half-time. On came Olivier Giroud, the former Chelsea striker, to try to give them the attacking presence which had been absent from the get-go.

However, the start of the second half was delayed in curious circumstances as Giroud was stood by the side of the pitch, topless. It turned out his shirt was still in the dressing room, and we all had to wait while someone went to fetch it, with Chelsea's players complaining.

David Martinez was likewise introduced by LAFC head coach Steve Cherundolo, and two chances came his way in quick succession. First, he worried Robert Sanchez when he tried to find the corner from 20 yards. Then, he sliced a shot from a narrow angle after driving down the byline.

Chelsea were living dangerously as LAFC began to see more of their opponents’ half. Denis Bouanga should have scored when he had only Sanchez in front of him, but the Chelsea goalkeeper left a long leg stretched out enough to ensure their lead remained.

Delap replaced Jackson after 64 minutes with one excellent run nearly leading to Fernandez scoring as it was announced there were 22,137 fans in attendance.

The win was wrapped up in the 79th minute when Delap set up Fernandez again, with Chelsea now off to a winning start in the Club World Cup, even if hardly a soul was here to see it.