A Chelsea side showing 11 changes earned a comfortable win over Gent in their opening Conference League match.
Defender Renato Veiga headed in a 12th-minute opener from Mykhailo Mudryk’s cross.
Winger Pedro Neto smashed in a near post finish just 49 seconds after half-time after latching on to a long ball down the middle by Axel Disasi.
For a moment, Gent may have felt they were back in the game after a 50th minute header by defender Tsuyoshi Watanabe survived a video assistant referee check for offside to stand.
But that joy was short lived for the travelling Belgians.
Thirteen minutes later, versatile forward Christopher Nkunku latched on to a loose ball to score his seventh goal of the season with a low shot that went through goalkeeper Davy Roef.
Midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who had missed a great chance in the first half, then turned in a finish after Watanabe failed to clear.
Omri Gandelman added a consolation goal after some poor defending down Chelsea’s left.
It was a performance that showed the imposing depth in Chelsea’s squad – with a completely different starting line-up to the one that beat Brighton 4-2 in the Premier League last Saturday – but it also demonstrated the gap in resources between some of the clubs competing in Europe’s third tier competition.
The Conference League has a new 36-team league phase this season – with Chelsea bidding to qualify automatically for the knockout rounds by finishing in the top eight.
Their ultimate target in the competition, though, is to become the first team to add a Conference League title to previous successes in the Europa League and Champions League successes.
Maresca’s squad shows its depth
As much as Chelsea and their head coach Enzo Maresca should be proud that their second XI looked like a well-oiled group of stars capable of playing in the Premier League, this match was broadly uncompetitive.
Mudryk, Neto, Dewsbury-Hall, Nkunku and Tosin Adarabioyo were among the stars rotated in from the depths of the sizeable 29-man squad that was pictured in this year’s team photo a fortnight ago.
Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana haven’t been selected for this competition – being allowed to rest every Thursday – while Ben Chilwell is simply out of favour.
Even still, Maresca opted not to pick either Nicolas Jackson or Jadon Sancho and gave them the night off.
It could have encouraged Gent, but they could only score two goals against the run of play through Watanabe and Gandelman, with Englishman Archie Brown and former Chelsea forward Eidur Gudjohnsen’s son Andri having efforts on goal.
But Chelsea’s £400m team could have scored more against Gent, whose most expensive ever signing Momodou Sonko, who cost £6m, was sitting on the bench.
In fact, a report from the Transferroom website suggested that Chelsea’s squad, valued at £1.1bn, is worth as much as the Conference League’s other 35 team combined.
They are, therefore, strong favourites to claim glory in Europe this season. That estimated squad value is nothing for the Blues to be ashamed of – but merely highlights how European football is changing with England’s top flight dominant, especially when facing teams from outside the continent’s big five leagues.
