Chelsea were made to cling on to secure their place in the Conference League’s main draw, with Servette coming from behind to beat them on a nervy night in Geneva.
The Blues lost 2-1 to the side sitting seventh in the Swiss Super League but won 3-2 on aggregate, Christopher Nkunku’s penalty opener helping them sneak through here.
Head coach Enzo Maresca had hoped for a chaos-free evening but if his three months in charge have taught him anything, it is those are a rarity when it comes to the Blues.
Nevertheless, they can look forward to European football for this campaign, their 2-0 lead from the first leg at Stamford Bridge proving vital in them securing their safe passage.
Chelsea showcased their Premier League superiority early on, only a spectacular one-handed save from Joel Mall denying Enzo Fernandez from scoring from 25 yards.
Chelsea did take the lead in the 14th minute when Mykhailo Mudryk was hacked down in the box by Keigo Tsunemoto after being played in by Renato Veiga. Tsunemoto still had the temerity to protest, but he knew he had messed up. A clear foul, Nkunku stepped up to blast the ball into the bottom-left corner for 1-0 on the night, 3-0 on aggregate.
Considering they were competing on a cabbage patch of the pitch, Chelsea had played some pretty football, with one passing move ending with Noni Madueke’s attempt being blocked.
However, Servette made it 1-1 when Derek Kutesa was allowed to skip through Chelsea’s midfield as neither Fernandez nor Axel Disasi brought him down when they had the chance. Kutesa set up Jeremy Guillemenot, whose strike across goal beat Filip Jorgensen.
Servette now had belief as they went in search of a second goal which would certainly add to the nerves of this young Chelsea team.
Nkunku went for the spectacular after half time – an overhead kick from 18 yards – but the ball bounced wide. Mudryk then blasted over from the same distance.
The Ukrainian can be a frustrating watch but occasionally brilliant, sprinting from one box to the other with the ball in the 53rd minute. Unfortunately for him, Mall made the save.
When Servette took a 2-1 lead in the 72nd minute – Enzo Crivelli heading home from in between Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile, neither of them picking up the spare man – Maresca replaced Mudryk with his superstar in Cole Palmer.
Another substitute in Nicolas Jackson was celebrating scoring until he realised he had been flagged offside, while Palmer then sent a shot crashing into the crossbar.
The game was halted in the 90th minute as Servette fans began letting off fireworks inside the Stade de Geneve but thankfully for Maresca, this match did not completely blow up in his face.
