Chelsea took a significant step towards qualifying for the UEFA Conference League group stage with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Servette FC at Stamford Bridge. Goals from Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke in the second half gave the Blues the advantage ahead of next week’s decisive second leg in Switzerland.
Chelsea, competing in European football again after a one-year absence, started the match brightly. Marc Guiu almost opened the scoring in the early minutes, but he ran out of room as he rounded Servette goalkeeper Jeremy Frick. Despite the positive start, Chelsea struggled to maintain their momentum, allowing the visitors to grow into the game. The Swiss side, however, failed to seriously trouble debutant Filip Jörgensen in the Chelsea goal, despite creating a few awkward moments from set-pieces and long throws.
The first half ended goalless, with both sides lacking the cutting edge to make their promising moments count. But Chelsea came out with renewed energy after the break and soon found the breakthrough. In the 50th minute, Nkunku was fouled by Frick inside the box, and the Frenchman confidently converted the resulting penalty to give Chelsea the lead.
The Blues should have doubled their advantage shortly after, but Guiu missed a golden opportunity on an empty net after closing down the goalkeeper and winning the ball. The miss deflated both Guiu and Chelsea, and the game settled into a more disjointed rhythm reminiscent of the first half.
Enzo Maresca, taking charge of his first European match as Chelsea manager, made a triple substitution to reinvigorate his team, bringing on Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, and Madueke. The changes initially made little difference, with Chelsea struggling to maintain focus and composure. However, Madueke eventually took matters into his own hands, latching onto a precise pass from Fernandez to score Chelsea’s crucial second goal with just under 15 minutes remaining.
Despite the two-goal cushion, Chelsea endured a nervy finish to the match. Servette struck the crossbar and forced Jörgensen into a crucial save in the dying moments, but the Blues held on to secure a vital win.
Reflecting on the match, Maresca acknowledged that his team is still adapting to his system. “The last 10 minutes we played a little bit with fire,” Maresca said. “I was a bit worried. We could have managed the game in a different way. I expected it because we are in a moment of learning things.”
Maresca made nine changes to the team that lost 2-0 to Manchester City in their Premier League opener, with Nkunku and Moises Caicedo the only players to retain their places. New signings Tosin Adarabioyo and Jörgensen were handed their debuts, while Pedro Neto, Guiu, and Renato Veiga started for the first time in Chelsea colors.
The win puts Chelsea in a strong position to finish the job in Geneva next week and progress to the Conference League group stage. However, Maresca will be keen to see a more controlled and consistent performance from his team as they continue to learn and grow under his guidance.