Chelsea claimed a 2-0 victory against Servette in the first leg of their Europa Conference League play-off, giving new manager Enzo Maresca his first win at the helm. The match, held at Stamford Bridge, saw Chelsea struggle in the first half before finding their stride in the second.
The breakthrough came in the 50th minute when Christopher Nkunku converted a penalty after being fouled by Servette’s goalkeeper, Jeremy Frick. This was Nkunku’s fourth goal since joining Chelsea. Despite some missed chances, including a close call by Marc Guiu, Chelsea doubled their lead when Noni Madueke scored from an Enzo Fernandez assist.
Servette came close to narrowing the gap when Tiemoko Ouattara’s deflected shot hit the crossbar late in the game, but Chelsea held firm to keep a clean sheet. The win was a welcome relief for the Blues, who had previously lost 2-0 to Manchester City in Maresca’s debut match as manager.
Maresca, who made nine changes to the starting lineup, emphasized the importance of managing the game and securing a win with a rotated squad. However, there was concern when substitute Cole Palmer appeared to sustain a minor injury, though Maresca later reassured that Palmer should be available for Chelsea’s upcoming Premier League match against Wolves.
This victory puts Chelsea in a strong position as they head to Switzerland for the second leg, with hopes of advancing to the group stages of the Europa Conference League.
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