A Chelsea side showcasing 11 changes earned a comfortable win over Gent in their opening Conference League match. Defender Renato Veiga headed in a 12th-minute opener from Mykhailo Mudryk's cross. Winger Pedro Neto smashed in a near post finish just 49 seconds after half-time after latching on to a long ball down the middle by Axel Disasi. For a moment, Gent may have felt they were back in the game after a 50th-minute header by defender Tsuyoshi Watanabe survived a video assistant referee check for offside to stand. But that joy was short-lived for the travelling Belgians. Thirteen minutes later, versatile forward Christopher Nkunku latched on to a loose ball to score his seventh goal of the season with a low shot that went through goalkeeper Davy Roef. Midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who had missed a great chance in the first half, then turned in a finish after Watanabe failed to clear. Omri Gandelman added a consolation goal after some poor defending down Chelsea's left.
It was a performance that showed the imposing depth in Chelsea's squad - with a completely different starting line-up to the one that beat Brighton 4-2 in the Premier League last Saturday - but it also demonstrated the gap in resources between some of the clubs competing in Europe's third tier competition. The Conference League has a new 36-team league phase this season - with Chelsea bidding to qualify automatically for the knockout rounds by finishing in the top eight. Their ultimate target in the competition, though, is to become the first team to add a Conference League title to previous successes in the Europa League and Champions League successes.
As much as Chelsea and their head coach Enzo Maresca should be proud that their second XI looked like a well-oiled group of stars capable of playing in the Premier League, this match was broadly uncompetitive. Mudryk, Neto, Dewsbury-Hall, Nkunku and Tosin Adarabioyo were among the stars rotated in from the depths of the sizeable 29-man squad that was pictured in this year's team photo a fortnight ago. Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana haven't been selected for this competition - being allowed to rest every Thursday - while Ben Chilwell is simply out of favour. Even still, Maresca opted not to pick either Nicolas Jackson or Jadon Sancho and gave them the night off. It could have encouraged Gent, but they could only score two goals against the run of play through Watanabe and Gandelman, with Englishman Archie Brown and former Chelsea forward Eidur Gudjohnsen's son Andri having efforts on goal.
But Chelsea's £400m team could have scored more against Gent, whose most expensive ever signing Momodou Sonko, who cost £6m, was sitting on the bench. In fact, a report from the Transferroom website suggested that Chelsea's squad, valued at £1.1bn, is worth as much as the Conference League's other 35 teams combined. They are, therefore, strong favourites to claim glory in Europe this season. That estimated squad value is nothing for the Blues to be ashamed of - but merely highlights how European football is changing with England's top flight dominant, especially when facing teams from outside the continent's big five leagues.
With every result, Enzo Maresca is making Chelsea believe again. Even as his side coasted to victory – their fifth in succession in all competitions – against Gent, the Italian could be seen prowling the touchline issuing instructions. At a club where the thinking has become increasingly muddled, Maresca’s straightforward approach seems to be paying dividends. Second-half goals from Pedro Neto, Christopher Nkunku and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall saw off the Belgian side after the impressive Renato Veiga had opened the scoring.
But without the services of Cole Palmer after Saturday’s four-goal hero was left out of their Conference League squad, Chelsea showed that they have plenty of other options and it will be difficult for anyone to stop them becoming the first side to complete the full set of European trophies if they decide to take this competition seriously. Even with 11 changes from their impressive win over Brighton here on Saturday, Maresca was able to name a forward line that cost Chelsea £200m to assemble. According to the website TransferRoom, their squad is worth roughly the same as the other 35 clubs who are taking part in this season’s Conference League and they began the group stages as heavy favourites to go all the way to the final in Wrocław.
Gent have played in every edition of this tournament since it was introduced by Uefa in 2021 and were beaten by West Ham in the last eight on their way to lifting the trophy a year ago. Wouter Vrancken’s side battled through three qualifying rounds to reach this stage after finishing seventh in the Belgian league and included two players with famous fathers in their starting lineup. Eidur Gudjohnsen was in the stands to watch his son, 22-year-old striker Andri, take on his former club, while Noah Fadiga – the son of former Bolton and Senegal winger Khalilou Fadiga – attempted to provide support for him in attack. But with Neto and Mykhailo Mudryk in the mood to impress in the absence of Palmer and co, it wasn’t long before Chelsea went ahead. Neto had already set up Tosin Adarabioyo for a header with a delicate cross moments earlier when Mudryk popped up on the same flank to deliver an inch-perfect ball for Veiga to head home at the back post.
Dewsbury-Hall should have doubled the lead when Neto wiggled away from his marker and squared the ball into the midfielder’s path but he shot just wide. Gent’s first sight of goal came just after the half-hour mark when Archie Brown, a product of Derby’s academy who plays for England’s Under-20 side, drew Filip Jørgensen into a save after a quick break. But their vociferous travelling support could not believe it when Gudjohnsen fired inches over with a powerful drive that would have left the Chelsea goalkeeper with no chance. Maresca had some choice words for Mudryk on one occasion when he gave the ball away cheaply. But the Ukrainian showed his ability when he skipped past Hugo Gambor just before half-time and it needed a scrambled clearance to keep Chelsea at bay.
Barely 30 seconds had elapsed since the restart when Neto took advantage of a moment’s hesitation between Gambor and Watanabe to lash home Chelsea’s second goal after a long ball from captain Axel Disasi. But Gent hit back immediately when the Japan defender rose above Benoît Badiashile and headed in Gudjohnsen’s cross to the delight of the fans behind Jørgensen’s goal. Chelsea were forced to go on the attack again and Nkunku made Gent pay for failing to clear a corner when he lashed home from inside the area and the goal was allowed to stand despite it appearing that Veiga was offside in the buildup. Fadiga and Gudjohnsen were withdrawn straight after the goal and it needed a block from Badiashile to prevent substitute Max Dean from scoring with his first touch. Dewsbury-Hall removed any lingering doubts about the result when he raced onto João Félix’s through ball to score Chelsea’s fourth.
To their credit, Gent continued to attack and a brilliant run from Brown saw the 22-year-old almost pull one back late on before substitute Omri Gandelman grabbed a late consolation that did little to dampen the home crowd’s enthusiasm.
