2024-08-23 11:00:02
Second-half goals from Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke means it is advantage Chelsea in this UEFA Conference League play-off.
The contest burst into life after the interval when Nkunku won a penalty he confidently converted for his first goal at Stamford Bridge.
Marc Guiu should have doubled our lead, but sub Madueke did just that with a quarter-of-an-hour remaining, latching on to Enzo Fernandez’s fine pass and finishing with a flourish.
Servette carried a threat throughout. Debutant Filip Jorgensen made a couple of decent saves, and the visitors also hit the crossbar late on. Enzo Maresca will know this tie is far from over.
Team news
The head coach made nine changes to his Chelsea team, handing debuts to Tosin Adarabioyo and Jorgensen.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Pedro Neto, Guiu and Renato Veiga started for us for the first time, having come off the bench in the Premier League opener against Man City.
Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile and Mykhailo Mudryk were the other fresh faces, Disasi earning his first minutes of the summer. Nkunku and Moises Caicedo, who captained, retained their places from Sunday.
Before kick-off, there was a big welcome back to Stamford Bridge for Joao Felix, who reacquainted himself with the home support.
Chelsea were purposeful from the off. Barely 60 seconds had elapsed when Dewsbury-Hall slipped in Guiu, who had the crowd excited but was a fraction offside.
Nkunku and Dewsbury-Hall’s driving runs from deep were forcing the Swiss side on the back foot, but they did bare their teeth for the first time on the quarter-hour. Jorgensen pushed Dereck Kutesa’s shot over.
With 27 minutes played, good hold-up play from Guiu created a clear opening for Mudryk, who pulled his effort wide of the near post. Pedro then fired a shot straight at Jeremy Frick, the Servette stopper.
By the time the first half drew to a close, both teams were looking most threatening on the break but lacking the final pass to break through.
We didn’t have to wait long after the restart to do just that! Dewsbury-Hall pounced on a loose ball, forced by pressure from Guiu, and played in Nkunku, who took it around Frick and was felled. The Frenchman picked himself up and slammed his spot-kick into the left-hand corner. Out came the blue balloon for the first time in SW6!
It should have been two almost immediately. Guiu chased a lost cause and blocked Frick’s attempted clearance. The ball ricocheted goalwards and was reached by Guiu first, but he couldn’t steer his effort past the retreating Frick, who promptly kept out two further efforts from the young striker.
Maresca brought on Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Noni Madueke on the hour. Palmer moved into the central attacking position.
It was the other two subs who combined to double our lead. Enzo threaded a wonderful pass inside the right-hand channel which Madueke raced on to and smashed high past Frick on his weaker foot.
Servette tried to hit back with nine minutes remaining through sub Jeremy Guillemenot, after we had lost possession in our defensive third. Jorgensen, who enjoyed a tidy debut, got down low to tip his strike around the post.
The keeper could only watch as sub Tiemoko Ouattara’s shot took a touch off Tosin and looped over him. Thankfully, the ball struck the top of the crossbar, and we escaped from the resulting corner, too. The unmarked Gael Ondoua headed wide.
Servette really should have scored as the contest ticked into stoppage time. Steve Rouiller won the first header from a corner, but Guillemenot could only turn it over from point-blank range. He still had time for one more chance, Jorgensen to the rescue again.
There will be no room for complacency in Geneva a week today.
What’s next?
Before then, the Blues are off to the West Midlands on Sunday to take on Wolves.
Chelsea (4-3-3): Jorgensen; Disasi (Gusto 78), Tosin, Badiashile, Veiga; Nkunku (Fernandez 57), Caicedo (c) (Lavia 84), Dewsbury-Hall; Neto (Madueke 57), Guiu (Palmer 57), Mudryk.
Unused subs Bettinelli, Sanchez, Cucurella, Colwill, Jackson
Scorers Nkunku (pen) 50, Madueke 76
Booked Dewsbury-Hall 90+3
Servette (4-2-3-1): Frick (c); Tsunemoto, Rouiller, Severin, Mazikou; Douline (Vonmoos 61), Ondoua; Stevanovic (Antunes 61), Cognat (Ouattara 85), Kutesa (Magnin 69); Crivelli (Guillemenot 61)
Unused subs Mall, Besson, Baron, Antunes, Sawadogo, Weber, Srdanovic, Frankhauser
Referee Jeremie Pignard from France
Crowd 37,902
