Chelsea have reached the aptly named ‘league stage’ of this season’s UEFA Conference League after securing a 3-2 aggregate victory over Servette in the play-off round.
The Blues had opened up a 2-0 lead from the first leg at Stamford Bridge a week ago, before taking an early lead in Switzerland courtesy of Christopher Nkunku from the penalty spot (again).
But Jeremy Guillemenot canceled out that goal in the first half, while Servette substitute Enzo Crivelli scored what is a famous win for the Swiss side, although it was not enough to secure a draw.
How the game developed
As was the case in the first leg, Enzo Maresca made wholesale changes to his starting eleven, with only Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and hat-trick hero Noni Madueke retaining their places after the emphatic victory of weekend Premier League in Wolverhampton.
Chelsea were the dominant team from the start, with Fernández going close from distance in the first five minutes; his effort had to be saved. It was then not long before the Blues opened the scoring and extended their lead overall, Mudryk winning the penalty after being brought down by Servette’s Keigo Tsunemoto as he won the ball high up the pitch.
Nkunku made no mistake, he fired into the bottom corner and the ball bounced back out.
Mudryk, Nkunku and Madueke were all involved to promising effect as Chelsea stayed on top, looking comfortable defensively as well. But the home fans erupted when Guillemenot unexpectedly fired Servette level on the night, slotting an early goal past Filip Jorgensen after being played in by Dereck Kutesa as he ran through Chelsea’s lines from midfield.
Immediately at the other end, Joel Mall suffocated as Nkunku tried to lift the ball over him. The home keeper was on the way again as Madueke fired home in the closing stages of the first while Filip Jorgensen also made his first meaningful save to deny Kutesa.
As the second half began, Mudryk was full of running without an end product, either picking the wrong pass or being overwhelmed when it mattered most.
The game eventually became one that gave the impression of being animated without much tangible action. With the clock ticking into the final quarter of 90, neither team was creating clear-cut chances, promising plays often breaking down on the edge of both penalty areas.
So it was, until a hopeful ball into the box from the right side of Servette. The center was not closed and Crivelli was able to move into the space between Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo to catch the rather defenseless Jorgensen, who had a weak touch as the ball flew.
Needing just one more goal to equal the total scored, Servette sensed blood, although Chelsea assistant manager Nicolas Jackson had the ball in the net only to be denied by an extremely tight offside call. Cole Palmer, another Maresca substitute, ended up hitting the crossbar from an excellent position.
The roars of the home crowd pushed Servette on as six minutes of stoppage time were called and they almost forced extra time when Timothe Cognat curled an agonizing shot wide.
GK: Filip Jorgensen – 6/10 – He had no chance when Servette equalised. They had a bit more chances when they took the lead, but you can’t blame them. It did most other things pretty well.
RB: Axel Disasi – 6/10 – He fielded Chelsea’s noticeably stronger backline side.
CB: Tosin Adarabioyo – 5/10 – Carried the ball well in midfield at times, but not a polished defensive performance. He didn’t always seem to be in control.
CB: Benoit Badiashile – 5/10 – He didn’t seem to know where he and the others were when the ball entered the box for Servette’s second goal.
LB: Renato Vega – 5/10 – It gave Miroslav Stevanovic too much time and space to focus on that aforementioned go-ahead goal, which put Chelsea under unnecessary pressure at the end.
CM: Enzo Fernandez – 4/10 – Didn’t particularly impress despite an early chance. A £108m player should completely run a game like this.
CM: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 5/10 – Considering he’s now effectively Conor Gallagher’s replacement, the comparison didn’t go in his favor here. There was not enough mobility.
RM: Noni Madueke – 6/10 – He did not make his feelings about the city of Geneva known before kick-off, although no one could argue that it is not much nicer than Wolverhampton. Decent, not outstanding.
AM: Christopher Nkunku – 7/10 – Chelsea fans didn’t see enough of him last season due to injury, but he is making his mark in this competition. Scored from the spot but good in open play.
LM: Mykhailo Mudryk – 6/10 – On the receiving end of a lot of frustration on social media in the first leg, but won the early penalty by tripping the ball high up the pitch. Alive but inconsistent.
ST: Marc Guiu – 5/10 – Even with Chelsea dominating the ball, the serve did not reach him.
Substitutes
SUB: Tyrique George (62′ for Madueke) – 5/10
SUB: Moises Caicedo (63′ for Fernandez) – 6/10
SUB: Nicolas Jackson (63′ for Guiu) – 6/10
SUB: Cole Palmer (72′ for Mudryk) – 6/10
Subs not used: Robert Sanchez (GK), Marcus Bettinelli (GK), Josh Acheampong, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella.
manager
Enzo Maresca – 5/10 – He changed his team significantly from the weekend, trying to use the full squad at his disposal. It was a gamble that didn’t really pay off.
