Kilmarnock, Pafos, St Patrick’s Athletic, Lincoln Red Imps and Vikingur Reykjavik were some of the teams Chelsea shared the UEFA Conference League stage with on Thursday night.
The Blues looked like they would be spending another season out of Europe until a late surge up the Premier League standings in April and May resulted in a fifth place finish and entry into the play-off round of UEFA’s tertiary club competition.
With Switzerland’s Servette the opponent at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea, even this version, heavy favourites to win, pressure was on Enzo Maresca and his squad of players to get up and running.
With a place in the group stage at stake, the 2-0 win will make life more straightforward for the away leg next week, but a polished perfrmance…this was not.
The boss changed things up quite considerably from the team that lost to Manchester City in the Premier League last Sunday. Only Christopher Nkunku kept his place, with wholesale changes otherwise made that included a competitive debuts for Filip Jorgensen, Tosin Adarabioyo, and first starts for Pedro Neto, Marc Guiu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Renato Veiga.
Your Chelsea side tonight! 👊#CFC | #UECL pic.twitter.com/F3Xh8R37NO
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 22, 2024
Moises Caicedo was also captain for the very first time. It divided opinion.
Moises Caicedo captain 😍😍😍
— Olivia Buzaglo (@OliviaBuzaglo) August 22, 2024
Caicedo is the captain today? Love the player but there’s something fundamentally wrong at Chelsea. We used to have proper captains man. My club fell off from the face of the earth
— クラス ルゴ (@KrisRugo) August 22, 2024
Caicedo captain over Disasi. The writing is on the wall. Pack your bags to Newcastle son.
— ًًً (@ibzsmo3k) August 22, 2024
Someone else was in the tunnel but not yet registered to play after Wednesday’s arrival.
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 22, 2024
When the football actually began, it took a really long time to actually begin.
Stats aren’t everything etc but nice summary of the first half of the first half here. Chelsea moving the ball well but no threat in the box since the second minute, Servette playing for set pieces. pic.twitter.com/GET1Ed3KeL
— Sean Walsh (@SeanDZWalsh) August 22, 2024
Chelsea didn’t have a shot for 29 minutes. When it came, Mykhailo Mudryk fired it wide.
Finally a shot. Mudryk dragged it wide. Guiu with a…sloppy miscontrol that Mudryk bursts onto. Couldn’t work the keeper.
— Chessy Hour® ☆☆ (@ChessyHour) August 22, 2024
In the meantime…
Chelsea fans in the Matthew Harding stand appear to chant Conor Gallagher’s name…
— Sean Walsh (@SeanDZWalsh) August 22, 2024
Mudryk, potentially so talented but utterly devoid of confidence, was the subject of much frustration for Chelsea fans.
mudryk will pull off the craziest 1 on 1 move you’ll see and then the pass or shot after is just like what are you doing man 😭
— 🧟 (@corpsecutterr) August 22, 2024
Mudryk has to be one of the most infuriating players I’ve ever watched
— JPH (@jessyjph) August 22, 2024
Everytime Mudryk gets on the ball I look forward to the rubbish he’ll do every single time. Miscontrolled touch, incomplete cross, shot off target. We are tired man
— 🕸🕸 (@ttondev) August 22, 2024
Mudryk needs 6 months out with a psychologist. Completely serious. He’s shot and it’s 99% in his mind. #CFC
— Jake Heasman (@jakeheasman) August 22, 2024
Mudryk is so frustrating to watch. I want him to do well, but too many times he makes poor decisions or the quality of his pass/shot are so poor.
— London Blue (@londonbluenews) August 22, 2024
But almost immediately after half-time, a penalty was the boost Chelsea needed.
Christopher Nkunku won it…
Penalty Chelsea. Guiu presses superbly to force an error, Dewsbury-Hall slides it through to Nkunku and Frick brings him down. No doubt about it.
Nkunku steps up and smashes it past the keeper. 1-0. That’s the first official goal of the Maresca era. #cfc
— Joe Krishnan (@joekrishnan) August 22, 2024
…and with Cole Palmer not on the pitch at that point, he scored it himself.
Nkunku strikes us into the lead. 🇫🇷#CFC | #UECL pic.twitter.com/v9oc3mO3Yw
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 22, 2024
The first goal of the Enzo Maresca era is scored by Christopher Nkunku 🎈 pic.twitter.com/YooNA6h00Y
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 22, 2024
Chelsea should have quickly doubled their lead but Guiu, the 18-year-old striker signed from Barcelona, somehow managed to let the goalkeeper save as he shot at an open goal.
Marc Guiu with a miss that should send him straight on loan. pic.twitter.com/etwomqS0Rm
— ChelsTransfer (@ChelsTransfer) August 22, 2024
Using that squad depth.
Good man-management from Maresca as Guiu came off…gave him a real conciliatory hug and some warm words for that miss. Guiu’s face showed how gutted he was.
— Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) August 22, 2024
As the game continued, frustration was the overriding emotion.
Thank god we got a penalty 😂😂
— Chelsea FC Podcast (@chelsea_podcast) August 22, 2024
Thank God I’m not watching this match.. because Chelsea has been totally ass..
We are supposed to be leading by 3 or 4 goals by now..
Imagine leading this small team by penalty..😡They really deserve this conference league spot.. champions League is too big for them ATM…tbvh
— BIG 24 StratoVM (@SUCCESS_OG_) August 22, 2024
Eventually, the second goal came: Noni Madueke.
A fine team goal. 🔥@NoniMadueke_ ✨#CFC | #UECL pic.twitter.com/sMKyRQDzrX
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 22, 2024
there’s no way Madueke should be below Mudryk in the pecking order
— ً (@elsdawg) August 22, 2024
This is the Madueke that Chelsea fans doubted, claiming he wasn’t good enough. A player who has consistently performed since preseason, despite limited minutes, and now he’s scored to silence his critics
— SHAYEE 𒀭 (@tier_first) August 22, 2024
A win’s a win 🤷♂️
Certainly not vintage but 2-0 puts us in a very commanding position with the tie.
Much to improve on the training pitch, but Nkunku, Madueke, Veiga and Caicedo put in positive performances.
90 useful minutes in the legs adapting to Enzo Maresca’s style of football.
— Tom Overend (@tovers98) August 22, 2024
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