October 03, (THEWILL) – Chelsea commenced their UEFA Conference League campaign with a 4-2 victory against KAA Gent at Stamford Bridge. The Thursday evening match saw the London club maintain their strong home record, having lost only one of their last 15 matches across all competitions.
Despite the absence of key players such as Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho, and Nicolas Jackson, Chelsea dominated the first half. Renato Veiga opened the scoring in the 12th minute, heading in a cross from Mykhaylo Mudryk. Gent managed to create a couple of opportunities before the break but failed to capitalise on them.
The second half began with a flurry of activity. Pedro Neto doubled Chelsea’s lead within 60 seconds of the restart, only for Gent to respond quickly through Tsuyoshi Watanabe. Christopher Nkunku restored Chelsea’s two-goal advantage, followed by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s strike, effectively securing the win for the home side.
This victory marks an ideal start for Chelsea in their quest to become the first club to win all of UEFA’s major club competitions. Manager Enzo Maresca’s decision to rest several first-team players for the entire first stage of the competition did not hamper the team’s performance, highlighting the squad’s depth and quality.
Looking ahead, Chelsea will aim to build on this strong start as they continue their European campaign. Gent, meanwhile, will focus on winning their upcoming match against Molde after the international break, which presents a more attainable challenge for the Belgian side.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
