Maresca hails Joao Pedro after Chelsea reach Club World Cup final

"We are very happy and very proud to be in the final on Sunday because this is the first edition of the Club World Cup and the best clubs in the world are here," said Maresca.

Joao Pedro was starting for the first time since arriving from Brighton and Hove Albion for a reported £60 million last week, fresh from an off-season break.

The Brazilian made an immediate impact in the game at the MetLife Stadium just outside New York. He produced two superb finishes, either side of half-time, to take Chelsea through to Sunday's final against Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid.

"I am very happy for Joao. He has the quality to decide games like today, but also he was on holiday so is probably a bit more fresh compared to the rest," Maresca said of the 23-year-old.

"We knew what Joao was like. We brought him in because this season we faced many teams with low blocks and his quality is very good against these kinds of teams."

Chelsea's run to the final of the lucrative competition comes at the end of a season in which Chelsea finished fourth in the Premier League to secure a return to the UEFA Champions League. They also won the Conference League.

"The last few years have not been what this club deserves, but this year luckily things went pretty well and now we are in the final," said the Italian. "We are very proud to help the team be back where they deserve to be."

One possible issue for Chelsea ahead of the final is the fitness of midfield lynchpin Moises Caicedo, who came off injured deep in stoppage time at the end of the match.

"'Moi' twisted his ankle. When it happened I told him that we could play with 10 players and hope it doesn't get worse," Maresca said. "He felt he could try (to play on) which he did and he felt pain. Hopefully he can be fit for Sunday."