Chelsea 4-2 Gent: Blues kick-off European campaign with a win

Chelsea 4-2 Gent: Blues kick-off European campaign with a win

Chelsea 4-2 Gent: Blues kick-off European campaign with a win. Chelsea once again cruised to another 4-2 victory over Gent in their opening game of Conference League phase on Thursday night.

The Blues were dominant throughout, with all three secured, after Renato Veiga headed the hosts into an early lead.

However, their second goal didn’t arrive until the start of the second half when Pedro Neto found the back of the net with a brilliant finish, and while Gent threatened a resurgence after Pedro Neto’s scored, Chelsea made no mistake and eventually eased to victory.

Thursday’s win was Chelsea’s fifth on the bounce in all competitions.

How the match unfolded;

Chelsea were big favourites entering the contest, and the depth of the squad allowed Enzo Maresca to make yet another wholesome changes from the team that beat Brighton 4-2 at the weekend. This however was a big opportunity for the ‘second’ XI to impress, and Veiga certainly seemed intent on making the most of the chance.

The versatile defender headed Chelsea into an early lead with the Blues starting the contest camped in the Gent half. In the aftermath, though, much of their possession seemed sterile. While they controlled the first-half, visiting goalkeeper Davy Roef was barely tested. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall did fire a shot into the side-netting from a good position, though.

Gent had a brief spell of pressure at the other end with Andri Gudjohnsen, son of Eidur – watching from the stands, blazing a fierce effort over from inside the area after Archie Brown had forced an easy save out of Filip Jorgensen.

There were goals at both ends to kick off the second half with Pedro Neto’s effort being cancelled out by a pinpoint Tsuyoshi Watanabe header. Chelsea, however, did a fine job of preventing the Belgian side from building any momentum after they brought themselves back into the game, and they soon reasserted their dominance.

Christopher Nkunku, off the back of a hat-trick in the Carabao Cup last week, thundered home Chelsea’s third before Dewsbury-Hall pounced on the loose ball on the edge of the Gent box and squeezed home the hosts’ fourth.

The hosts’ control did relent during the game’s final act and Gent’s spirit has to be commended. The visitors grabbed a late consolation through substitute Omri Gandelman, but there was never any doubt over the result.

WATCH THE MATCH HIGHLIGHTS BELOW;