Chelsea secured their place in the UEFA Conference League group stage Thursday night, progressing with a 3-2 aggregate victory over Swiss side Servette despite suffering a surprising 2-1 defeat in the second leg.
The Premier League club, carrying a 2-0 advantage from the first leg at Stamford Bridge, extended their lead early through Christopher Nkunku’s penalty. However, Servette mounted a comeback with goals from Jeremy Guillemenot and Enzo Crivelli, creating a tense finish to the playoff round tie.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca made significant changes to his starting lineup, retaining only Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Noni Madueke from the weekend’s Premier League victory.
Nkunku, who converted from the spot after Mudryk was fouled in the box, impressed throughout the match. However, many of his teammates struggled to make an impact. Servette equalized before halftime when Guillemenot finished a counterattack initiated by Dereck Kutesa.
The second half saw few clear opportunities until Crivelli’s 76th-minute header put Servette ahead on the night and within one goal of forcing extra time. Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson had a late goal disallowed for offside, while Cole Palmer struck the crossbar in the closing stages.
Servette pushed for a decisive goal in six minutes of added time, with Timothe Cognat narrowly missing a chance to level the aggregate score.
The result sees Chelsea progress to the aptly named ‘league phase’ of the Conference League, Europe’s third-tier competition, despite the setback in Geneva. The draw for the next round is scheduled for Friday.
Player performance varied significantly for Chelsea, with Nkunku standing out positively while others failed to meet expectations. A full player ratings breakdown is expected to follow, highlighting individual contributions and areas for improvement as the Blues continue their European campaign.
