Nkunku, Madueke inspire Chelsea’s first win under Maresca with Conference League win over Servette

Nkunku celebrates after scoring against Servette | Imago

Nkunku, Madueke inspire Chelsea’s first win under Maresca with Conference League win over Servette

Ayoola Kelechi 23:04 - 22.08.2024

Enzo Maresca finally gets his first official win as Chelsea manager after the Blues overcame Servette in the Europa Conference League play-off

Chelsea finally claimed their first win under Italian manager Enzo Maresca, claiming a routine 2-0 victory over Swiss side Servette in the first leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League play-offs.

A goal each from French forward Christopher Nkunku and English winger Noni Madueke was enough for the Blues to put recent unrest at Stamford Bridge to bed with a comfortable win over their visitors.

How it happened

Following a disappointing loss in their Premier League opener, Chelsea turned their focus to European competition, where they played out a comfortable win at Stamford Bridge.

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After a frustrating first half that saw the teams headed into the break with the score still locked at 0-0 as Chelsea struggled to break down a disciplined Servette side, Chelsea were desperate for a bright start out of the gates in the second half.

The Blues got exactly that as just minutes after the restart, Nkunku stepped up to take a penalty and coolly slotted the ball into the net, to give the home side a nerve-settling 1-0 lead and also to give Maresca the first official goal of his reign.

Christopher Nkunku celebrates the first goal of the Enzo Maresca era | Chelsea
Christopher Nkunku celebrates the first goal of the Enzo Maresca era | Chelsea Christopher Nkunku celebrates the first goal of the Enzo Maresca era | Chelsea

Despite only managing 14 shots compared to Servette’s 22, Chelsea extended their lead through Madueke, after the winger received a perfectly weighted ball over the top and fired home a clinical finish to make it 2-0 to the hosts.

Noni Madueke celebrates after scoring against Servette | Imago
Noni Madueke celebrates after scoring against Servette | Imago Noni Madueke celebrates after scoring against Servette | Imago

Chelsea had a golden opportunity to further increase their advantage when young Spanish striker Marc Guiu found himself with an open goal, but the 18-year-old missed the target when it looked harder to miss.

With this victory, Chelsea take a crucial lead into the second leg of the Conference League play-off and will now turn their attention back to domestic matters as they prepare to face Wolves in the Premier League on Sunday before travelling to Switzerland for the return fixture next week.