CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU booked Chelsea’s place in the poor man’s Champions League from a billionaire’s playground.
The Frenchman’s first-half penalty was enough to see off a stubborn fightback from Swiss opposition to make it into the Conference League proper.
But Chelsea will need to up their game from a distinctly two bob performance if their latest bid to rejoin Europe’s elite isn’t done for by Christmas.
Watching co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali and sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart will have noted the stuttering football from the two-times Champions League winners.
These three big-spenders will have felt right at home in stylish Switzerland where it can set you back £25 for a rum and coke.
And with today being transfer deadline day expect last-minute business being done to throw money at the problem.
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Maresca left a smattering of his big stars out, with Cole Palmer, Marc Cucurella, Nicolas Jackson and Moises Caicedo on the bench thinking it was job done.
Without them Nkunku’s early goal provided the single goal cushion to see them through from an unconvincing display, when in reality it should have been the patchy pitch providing the toughest obstacle to a comprehensive away win.
The penalty should have been the catalyst for Maresca’s fledglings to run riot and enjoy getting to know each other.
Left back Renato Veiga played Mykhailo Mudryk through into the box and the Ukrainian was upended by Keigo Tsunemoto for a stonewall spot kick.
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Nkunku slotted home – just like he did in the first leg at Stamford Bridge last week – making it 3-0 on aggregate.
But the gameplan took a wobbly turn on 32 minutes when Servette equalised and turned the screw a little on Chelsea’s hopes of a chilled performance in humid conditions.
From attack to conceding took barely 20 seconds when a Blues attack crumbled.
Servette passed their way through a non-existent midfield with Dereck Kutesa bursting through before slipping the ball right for forward Jeremy Guillemenot to drill a shot under Filip Jorgensen before the keeper could react.
Nine minutes later, Chelsea were on the back foot again when dangerous Kutesa charged free down the left, causing the Premier League side more anxious moments.
Mudryk was again hit and miss and mainly miss, spooning one shot wildly over the bar from the edge of the box.
New England recruit Noni Madueke combined well with Nkunku in parts and they were by far Chelsea’s most dangerous pairing with rookie striker Marc Guiu looking lost.
Madueke came off as part of a triple substitution at 63 minutes, with Fernandez and Guiu joining him.
As part of the triple swap, highly-rated teenage winger Tyrick George was handed his first-team debut in place of Madueke.
The wobbly Blues then cracked again with 18 minutes left when Enzo Crivelli squeezed between Tosin and Benoit Badiashile to head in from six yards.
By the final whistle, all of Maresca’s big guns were on and England star Palmer rattled the bar with seven minutes to go.
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Play was halted with a minute to go when hundreds of noisy fireworks were fired from the home end in a deafening crescendo.
Chelsea’s underwhelming players deserved a rocket from Maresca in the dressing room after the final whistle for just scraping through.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
