Chelsea second string eases to Europa victory over Gent

Chelsea emphasised the depth of talent available to head coach Enzo Maresca as their second-string XI eased to a stylish 4-2 win over Gent at Stamford Bridge to kick-off their Conference League campaign.

The Italian changed his entire starting team from Saturday's win over Brighton and there was a palpable sense of players desperate to stake their claim to a regular starting berth.

Defender Renato Veiga started the party with an early headed goal, his first for the club, before Pedro Neto rifled in a second moments after half-time.

Japan international Tsuyoshi Watanabe exposed Chelsea’s backline to briefly restore Gent’s interest in the match, giving Maresca something to think about the ease with which the defender had evaded his team’s backline.

But defensive lapses were the only sour note on an otherwise impressive night, Christopher Nkunku continuing his fine goalscoring form to make it 3-1 whilst Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall also netted for the first time in blue, before a late Omri Gandelman consolation for Gent.

Chelsea’s 300th European fixture did not bring the most illustrious opponents, the team that finished seventh in last season’s Belgian Pro League a far cry from the most recent visitors to this ground in the main rounds of a UEFA competition, Real Madrid.

Chelsea completed a 4-0 aggregate loss that night in April 2023, but Gent were a challenge of a lesser order and after weathering early pressure fell behind after 12 minutes, Dewsbury-Hall threading a lovely ball through the channel into Mykhailo Mudryk’s path, the winger’s back-post cross gratefully nodded home by the arriving Veiga.

Maresca had challenged his players to use these European nights to prove their worth and plenty in blue had heeded their head coach’s