Liam Delap gets Chelsea fans talking after what he did just 10 seconds into his debut, Diego Costa claim made

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Liam Delap made his debut for Chelsea during the FIFA Club World Cup clash against Los Angeles.

The £30m signing from Ipswich Town was introduced by Enzo Maresca in place of Nicolas Jackson in the 64th minute, and made an strong first impression as he assisted Enzo Fernandez to make it 2-0 in the 79th minute with a delicate cross.

However, something much less delicate, which happened just ten seconds into his debut, got Chelsea fans talking about Liam Delap during this FIFA Club World Cup encounter.

Liam Delap draws Diego Costa comparisons as he shows his physical side

The England U21 international showed supporters what he is all about after replacing Jackson, immediately letting the Los Angeles backline know he was there.

Delap fouled Los Angeles No.33 Aaron Long instantaneously, and while some might call him clumsy for doing so, Chelsea fans loved it, making comparisons to the rough nature of Diego Costa, who would often get himself into physical battles with opposition defenders.

One called him a “real regen (regeneration)” of Costa, who scored 59 goals – and received 30 yellow cards – in 120 appearances for Chelsea.

Another supporter echoed that by calling Delap “baby Costa” after his early foul, before a third posted “the aura is real” while adding old photos of both strikers adopting a ripped shirt during a match, a consequence of their physical tussles.

Others simply added on X (previously known as Twitter) that “he will bully defences” and that he is “proper Chels (Chelsea)” – clearly, Delap is already a popular man.

Alongside the more mercurial, deft nature of Cole Palmer, the Chelsea No.9 certainly looked like he has what it takes to impress under Maresca, who he has already scored 27 goals in 22 appearances under for the Manchester City youth side.

Against Los Angeles, Delap made two key passes – assisting Fernandez with one – also completing six of his eight passes and taking 14 touches of the ball in his 29 minutes on the pitch.

Liam Delap already told Chelsea fans to expect this side of him

Seeing the 22-year-old throw his weight around shouldn’t come as a surprise to any Chelsea fans, as the man from Winchester said he would do exactly that during his first interview with the Blues.

When asked what type of striker he is, Delap – who Ipswich Town fans wished well – said: “I’m aggressive. I like to battle with the defenders. I’m fast and a good finisher… hopefully, I’m exciting to watch.”

On the evidence of what we saw against Los Angeles on Monday night, the £30m man will be a hit.