Chelsea qualify for Conference League
Enzo Maresca's side lose second leg 2-1 but secure 3-2 aggregate victory
Christopher Nkunku opens scoring from penalty spot, before goals from Jeremy Guillemenot and Enzo Crivelli for hosts
Draw for Conference League group phase takes place on Friday
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You hit the nail on the head mentioning consistency for Mudryk, but I think that was the issue with almost the whole squad last season. Palmer, maybe Petrovic and Gusto too, were the only players to really be consistent. If they can sort this, I truly believe Chelsea will be back to being a force to be reckoned with!
Anon
Servette 1-1 Chelsea (agg 1-3)
That was good keeping by Joel Mall to keep out the Chelsea forward.
Servette 1-1 Chelsea (agg 1-3)
Chelsea have an immediate chance to get that three-goal lead back as Christopher Nkunku is picked out in the box but he can't clip the ball over the onrushing keeper.
Image source, Getty Images
Jeremy Guillemenot
Oh.
Still a long way to go but Servette have hope.
An excellent run from Dereck Kutesa before feeding Jeremy Guillemenot and the striker drills the ball into the bottom left corner.
Image source, ReutersServette 0-1 Chelsea (agg 0-3)
Chelsea striker Marc Guiu wins the ball off a Servette defender but then he's tackled as he tries to run through.
Servette 0-1 Chelsea (agg 0-3)
Chelsea defending well when Servette ask them questions.
Kilmarnock lead FC Copenhagen in the Conference League, but still trail 2-1 on aggregate.
Hearts and Viktoria Plzen are goalless in the Europa League - with the Czech side 1-0 up on aggregate - which you can watch live on the BBC.
Servette 0-1 Chelsea (agg 0-3)
Fantastic first touch from Christopher Nkunku to control Enzo Fernandez's ball and beat a man. He picks out Noni Madueke, whose shot is blocked.
Servette 0-1 Chelsea (agg 0-3)
Mykhailo Mudryk is looking lively tonight. Although he does sometimes, he just needs to be consistent for Chelsea. A good run down the left but then his cross is cut out.
Servette 0-1 Chelsea (agg 0-3)
Chelsea are back in control now. Kieran Dewsbury-Hall gets involved in the opposition box.
Image source, EPANorthern Irish champions Larne face Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar in the Conference League play-off.
Lincoln won the first leg 2-1 but Larne have home advantage tonight.
Servette 0-1 Chelsea (agg 0-3)
Servette get their first chance of the game as Steve Rouiller shoots over from close range from a right-wing free-kick cross.
Good spell from the hosts as 30 seconds later they win another corner.
Servette 0-1 Chelsea (agg 0-3)
Jeremy Guillemenot beats Benoit Badiashile to the ball and the Chelsea defender brings him down at the expense of a yellow card.
Servette 0-1 Chelsea (agg 0-3)
It's tough to see a way back into this for Servette now.
Chelsea can surely start planning for the Conference League group stage.
Servette 0-1 Chelsea (agg 0-3)
That is only Christopher Nkunku's fifth goal for Chelsea. He managed three in a very injury-hit debut campaign last season.
Image source, ReutersChristopher Nkunku
Tie over?
Christopher Nkunku, who also scored a penalty in the first leg, blasts his spot-kick into the bottom corner.
The keeper goes the right way but can't keep it out.
Image source, Getty ImagesServette 0-0 Chelsea (agg 0-2)
Chelsea have a penalty.
Mykhailo Mudryk nicks the ball off Keigo Tsunemoto, who hacks him down.
Awful play by the Servette defender.
Image source, ReutersServette 0-0 Chelsea (agg 0-2)
The camera pans to show the Chelsea fans, a good few hundred have made the trip. Maybe more - I'm terrible with numbers. More than 10, less than a million.
Servette 0-0 Chelsea (agg 0-2)
Servette centre-back Yoan Severin chops down Christopher Nkunku and gets the first yellow card of the game.
Servette 0-0 Chelsea (agg 0-2)
Wonder if there are some issues with the pitch. Mykhailo Mudryk is the second Chelsea player to lose his footing.
Christopher Nkunku scored in both legs of the tie
Chelsea moved into the league phase of the Europa Conference League despite losing in Switzerland against Servette in the second leg of their qualifying play-off.
Enzo Maresca’s side led 2-0 after the first leg at Stamford Bridge a week ago and extended that advantage after 14 minutes through Christopher Nkunku’s penalty after Mykhailo Mudryk had been fouled by Keigo Tsunemoto.
Jeremy Guillemenot pulled one back for Servette, running on to Dereck Kutesa’s pass and shooting first time across Filip Jorgensen.
Two Servette substitutes combined with Enzo Crivelli heading in from Miroslav Stevanovic’s left-wing cross to put the Swiss side ahead on the night.
But the hosts could not find another goal that would have taken the tie to extra time as Chelsea held on for a 3-2 aggregate win.
Before the game, Maresca said he was not worried about complacency despite his side holding a two-goal advantage and Enzo Fernandez nearly stretched Chelsea’s lead with a fine 25-yard strike, which was tipped over by Joel Mall after only three minutes.
But, just as in the first leg, Nkunku converted from the penalty spot to seemingly put the tie beyond the Swiss side, although Guillemenot then scored with Servette’s first real chance in the 32nd minute to make it 1-1 on the night.
On a poor quality pitch, Kutesa had a chance to score another for the hosts when he raced through, but, from a tight angle, was denied by Jorgensen.
It has been a great start to the season for Chelsea winger Noni Madueke, who was called up for the England squad for the first time earlier on Thursday after he had grabbed a hat-trick in the 6-2 win over Wolves at the weekend.
He scored the Blues’ second goal in the first leg and looked to have a great chance early in the second half in Geneva, only to be denied by excellent defending.
Crivelli’s header set up a frantic finish before Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson had a goal ruled out for offside and Cole Palmer hit the crossbar.
In the fourth minute of added time, Servette nearly made it 3-3 overall, but Timothe Cognat dragged his shot wide.
There was a delay to the match near the end of the second half when a number of flares and fireworks were let off from home fans
Chelsea won the 2021 Champions League and are competing in Europe’s third-tier tournament for the first time after only coming sixth in the Premier League last season, a performance that cost boss Mauricio Pochettino his job.
The Blues have signed 10 players since Pochettino left with Maresca having one day left of the transfer window to trim an already bloated squad. England duo Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are among those that could leave on Friday’s transfer deadline day and neither were in the squad in Switzerland.
Maresca already faces a tough challenge in keeping the remaining members of his squad happy, but this progression in the Conference League ensures he will have at least another six matches to give game time to fringe players.
The draw for the league phase of the Conference League will be held on Friday from 13:30 BST at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
Just like the Champions League and Europa League, there will be 36 teams competing in one league, with the top eight advancing into the last 16, while those finishing between ninth and 24th will compete in the knockout phase play-offs.
Each team in the Champions League and Europa League plays eight different sides once apiece, with four of those games at home and four away, but the Conference League is slightly different, with each club only facing six opponents, three at home and three away.
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 14 |
| |
| 2 | Slovan Bratislava | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 10 |
|
| 3 | Olimpija | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 6 |
|
| 4 | KÍ | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 | -4 | 4 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 15 |
|
| 2 | Gent | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 13 |
|
| 3 | Zorya | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 11 | -1 | 7 |
|
| 4 | Breidablik | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 18 | -13 | 0 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Viktoria Plzeň | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 18 |
|
| 2 | Dinamo Zagreb | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
|
| 3 | Astana | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 13 | -9 | 4 |
|
| 4 | Ballkani | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 4 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Club Brugge | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 16 |
|
| 2 | Bodø / Glimt | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 10 |
|
| 3 | Beşiktaş | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 14 | -7 | 4 |
|
| 4 | Lugano | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 14 | -8 | 4 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 13 |
| |
| 2 | Legia Warszawa | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 12 |
|
| 3 | AZ | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 12 | -5 | 6 |
|
| 4 | Zrinjski | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 10 | -4 | 4 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 12 |
| |
| 2 | Ferencváros | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 10 |
|
| 3 | Genk | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
|
| 4 | Čukarički | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 16 | -14 | 0 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PAOK | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 16 |
|
| 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 9 |
| |
| 3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 6 |
| |
| 4 | HJK | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 17 | -10 | 2 |
|
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points | Form, Last 6 games, Oldest first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fenerbahçe | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 12 |
|
| 2 | Ludogorets | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 12 |
|
| 3 | Nordsjælland | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 10 |
|
| 4 | Spartak Trnava | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 15 | -12 | 1 |
|
Manager: Thomas Häberli
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Enzo Maresca
Formation: 3 - 2 - 4 - 1
Manager: Thomas Häberli
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Enzo Maresca
Formation: 3 - 2 - 4 - 1
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