Chelsea 4-2 Gent: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Renato Veiga off the mark as Blues cruise to Conference League win
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Enzo Maresca Shakes Up Lineup, But Chelsea Still Cruise to Victory
Chelsea comfortably beat Gent 4-2 in their Conference League opener, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Renato Veiga both netting their first goals for the club.
Manager Enzo Maresca made a bold move, changing all 11 players in the starting lineup, but it didn’t affect Chelsea’s performance at Stamford Bridge. Left-back Renato Veiga got things started, heading home a cross from Mykhailo Mudryk to give the Blues an early lead.
Though Chelsea looked in control at first, Gent managed to create some chances of their own before halftime. But just 40 seconds into the second half, Chelsea struck again. Axel Disasi sent a long ball over the top to Pedro Neto, who fired a powerful shot past the Gent goalkeeper.
Gent quickly responded, with Tsuyoshi Watanabe taking advantage of some poor defending to head in a goal, making it 2-1. But Chelsea soon regained control. Christopher Nkunku smashed a shot past Davy Roef, and shortly after, Dewsbury-Hall added a fourth, squeezing the ball past the Gent goalkeeper.
Gent’s Omri Gandelman scored a late consolation goal after Chelsea’s defense switched off, but it didn’t change the outcome. Chelsea sealed a solid win to kick off their league-phase campaign and remain favorites to win the tournament.
Maresca’s team is now on a five-game winning streak across all competitions and will next travel to face Panathinaikos before hosting Armenian side FC Noah.
