Chelsea 4-2 Gent: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Renato Veiga off the mark as Blues cruise to Conference League win

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Evening Standard

·3 October 2024

Chelsea 4-2 Gent: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Renato Veiga off the mark as Blues cruise to Conference League win

Enzo Maresca changed entire lineup but still little problems for Blues in easing to victory

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Renato Veiga both scored their first goal for Chelsea in a comfortable 4-2 win over Gent in the Conference League.

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In the Blues’ opening match of the League phase, they made a confident start at Stamford Bridge and took a deserved lead through left-back Veiga, one of 11 changes made by Enzo Maresca.

The 21-year-old headed home from a Mykhailo Mudryk cross and while the Blues initially threatened to run away with it, Gent came into the match and enjoyed a positive spell themselves before the break.

However, within 40 seconds of the second-half, Chelsea doubled their lead as Axel Disasi played a ball over the top and Pedro Neto ran onto it to lash in at the near post.

The Belgian side responded impressively, hitting back minutes later when Tsuyoshi Watanabe took full advantage of some absent defending to head past Filip Jorgensen.

Chelsea were soon back in charge, though. Christopher Nkunku, up to that point, lashed a strike straight through Davy Roef, who didn’t do enough seven minutes later either when Dewsbury-Hall arrived in the box and squirmed a finish past the goalkeeper.

Omri Gandelman gave the away fans one final cheer in the closing stages, as he was allowed to stroll into the box and finish first-time in a sloppy conclusion to the match from the hosts.

It was still a successful start to the Blues’ league-phase campaign, in a competition they are the big favourites to win. Maresca’s side travel to face Panathinaikos later this month, before hosting Armenian minnow FC Noah.

Chelsea are on a five-match winning run in all competitions, and have not tasted defeat since they were beaten in the second leg of their Conference League play-off tie against Servette in August.