Chelsea’s second-string team easily defeated Gent 4-2 at Stamford Bridge to begin their Conference League campaign, highlighting the breadth of talent available to head coach Enzo Maresca.
In Saturday’s victory over Brighton, the Italian made complete substitutions in his starting lineup, and it was evident that many players were fighting for a regular starting spot.
Renato Veiga (centre) celebrates the opening goal (Zac Goodwin/PA)
Pedro Neto scored a second goal shortly after halftime, but first defenseman Renato Veiga got the celebration underway with his first header goal for the team.Gent’s interest in the game was momentarily revived when Japan international Tsuyoshi Watanabe exposed Chelsea’s defence, giving Maresca cause for reflection given how easily the defender had gotten past his team’s defence.
On an otherwise fantastic evening, defensive errors were the only negative aspect. Christopher Nkunku scored a goal to make it 3-1, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored his first goal in blue before a late Omri Gandelman goal gave Gent hope.
Christopher Nkunku was on target for Chelsea (Zac Goodwin/PA)