It was not exactly all sweetness and light for Chelsea during this prosaic 2-0 win over Servette. Those hunting for optimism could find it in encouraging displays from some new faces, while Christopher Nkunku’s penalty and a sharp goal from Noni Madueke during an improved second half should ensure that progress to the Europa Conference League is secured in Switzerland next week, but there were also moments when discontent with the club’s direction under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital was captured by bursts of impatience from the stands.
There was a fair bit of grumbling after a tepid opening period, during which it was hard to see why Mykhailo Mudryk has been preferred to Raheem Sterling in attack, and later there would even be hints of opposition to the positional, possession-based style of play under Enzo Maresca. The Italian, who is working to boost his standing with his new supporters, will surely have noticed the boos that followed during the second half when Moisés Caicedo played the ball back from the halfway line.
The strange thing is that it was the right decision from Caicedo given that the midfielder was Chelsea’s deepest outfield player and under pressure. Maresca, who was pleased to earn his first win as head coach, must have been exasperated. Surely applause should be the response to a player keeping the ball. After all, it was not long before Chelsea had doubled their advantage after Madueke rounded off a move that began with some clever passing out of defence.
It was an important goal for Madueke, a young winger desperate to earn opportunities in Maresca’s packed forward line, and it gives Chelsea breathing space before they meet Servette in the second leg. After a year out of Europe, it would be a major shock if a two-goal lead is not enough to see them into the group stage.
Maresca could dwell on the positives, even though he was not happy with the chances his side conceded during the closing stages. He acknowledged that Chelsea “played with fire” after going 2-0 up and admitted that his players are still learning. Madueke, Maresca said, needs to be more consistent. There was praise for Marc Guiu’s workrate and a smile about the young forward’s comedy miss in the second half.
The good news is that Maresca is confident that Cole Palmer, a second-half substitute, will be fit to face Wolves on Sunday. It was worrying to see Palmer wincing and clutching his right hamstring after full time.
“In some moments, I really liked the team on and off the ball,” Maresca said. “At the start the team was very aggressive. Also, because we are in a process, there are some moments we can manage better.”
Events have moved so quickly at Stamford Bridge that even the editors of the matchday programme were beaten by the decision to hand Sterling’s No 7 shirt to Pedro Neto. A mess, though? Not so, says Maresca. He has his preferred group of players so nobody could be surprised that Sterling, Ben Chilwell and all the other outcasts in a squad that needs heavy trimming were absent again.
The changes keep coming. João Félix was paraded before kick-off after joining from Atlético Madrid and Chelsea’s starting XI featured six full debutants. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, a Maresca favourite from his Leicester days, tried hard in midfield. Neto did not see enough of the ball on the right.
Mudryk remained an enigma on the left. Everything is scattergun with the Ukrainian. After shooting just wide, he ruined a counterattack with a stray pass. After beating Keigo Tsunemoto, he knocked the ball behind for a goal kick.
Asked about Mudryk’s inconsistency, Maresca would liken his decision-making to the toss of a coin. “This is Mudryk,” he said. “It is not only tonight. Since he joined the club, he had some good moments and some bad moments. If he becomes more consistent, he can take one step forward. We are going to try and help him. He needs to understand that we will give him the ball in the final third and he has to make the right decision. A lot of mistakes is about the choice.”
Chelsea were booed off at half-time. Servette, who finished third in Switzerland last season, were comfortable. Filip Jörgensen, a new signing from Villarreal, thwarted Dereck Kutesa with a good save.
Yet Chelsea lifted the mood at the start of the second half. Pressing with more urgency, they made the breakthrough when Guiu forced an error and Dewsbury-Hall released Nkunku, who rounded Jérémy Frick before being brought down by the Servette goalkeeper.
The tension evaporated after Nkunku buried his penalty. The atmosphere felt lighter when two substitutes combined, Enzo Fernández releasing Madueke, who raced clear before lashing a shot inside Frick’s near post. It was another flash of Chelsea’s potential, but there is still work to do.
