Chelsea’s heavily rotated squad secured a dominant 4-1 victory over Gent in their opening match of the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Defender Renato Veiga opened the scoring in the 12th minute, heading home a cross from Mykhailo Mudryk.
The Blues doubled their lead early in the second half when Pedro Neto finished off a long ball from Axel Disasi. Gent briefly threatened a comeback with a goal from Tsuyoshi Watanabe, but Chelsea quickly reasserted control.
Christopher Nkunku extended the lead with a low shot through the goalkeeper, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall added a fourth goal after a defensive error.
Omri Gandelman scored a late consolation for Gent.
The match showcased Chelsea’s impressive squad depth as they fielded an entirely different starting XI from the one that defeated Brighton in the Premier League.
The result also highlighted the disparity in resources between some of the clubs competing in Europe’s third-tier competition.
Chelsea’s goal in the Conference League is to qualify for the knockout rounds by finishing in the top eight of the group stage. Ultimately, they aspire to become the first team to win all three major UEFA club competitions.
