Chelsea 4-2 Gent Player Ratings as the Blues open the Conference League campaign with a bang

Chelsea were off to a flying start in the Europa Conference League after beating Gent 4-2 in their opening fixture at Stamford Bridge. With the momentum in their hands due to an outstanding run this season, the Blues wasted no time making an impact, with Renato Veiga scoring a cool header to open the account inside 12 minutes. Pedro Neto smashed home a brilliant effort right after the break but Watanabe cut the deficit with a smart header not long after.

Nevertheless, the hosts curbed Gent’s growing momentum by scoring back-to-back goals inside seven minutes. Christopher Nkunku fired home the third goal of the night before Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall found the score sheet. The Belgian outfit tried to get back into the game with a late goal from Omri Gandelman but it turned out to be only a consolation effort, with the Blues wrapping up three points.

Chelsea Player Ratings vs Gent

Goalkeeper

Filip Jorgensen: 5/10 – Made a fine low save in the first half and he could nothing about Gent’s goal after the break.

Defenders

Renato Veiga: 8/10 – A stellar performance from the Portuguese youngster, who continues to seize his limited opportunities. Proved to be a nuisance to Gent with his ball-progression skills and killer passes. Showed great composure with his header.

Benoit Badiashile: 6/10- Played Watanabe onside for Gent’s goal, however, he still mopped up the occasional threats and showed his usual diligence on the ball. Was also at fault for Gent’s late strike.

Axel Disasi: 8/10 A phenomenal display from the Frenchman. Was literally a rock in the defence, and at the same time, created more danger with his passing. Set up Neto’s strike and squandered an easy close-range chance.

Tosin Adarabiyo: 7/10 – Recorded the second most touches in the game (150) and also delivered 7 passes into the final third.

Midfielders

Cesare Casadei: 7/10 The Italian youngster has shown again he has the tools to reach greater heights. A solid presence in the midfield and his passing was immaculate

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: 8/10 Dewsbury-Hall has finally got the opening that he has been searching for to gain confidence. A remarkable performance from the Englishman, who pulled the strings in the midfield and worked his socks off. His hunger to excel was clearly seen when he buried home Chelsea’s fourth goal.

Joao Felix: 6/10 – Not up to his usual standards but still created problems for Gent whenever he got on the ball.

Attackers

Pedro Neto: 8/10 – A performance of the highest class from the Portuguese winger, who scored a sumptuous goal. Left the Gent defenders scratching their heads with his meandering dribbling prowess and above all, his efforts off the ball were also great.

Mykhailo Mudryk: 7/10 Mudryk must be gradually growing in confidence after an impressive display against Gent. Looking more assured and explosive with his dribbling than before. Whipped in a delicious cross to set up Veiga’s goal.

Christopher Nkunku: 7/10 – Not at his best in the first half but grew massively after the break. Worked tirelessly off the ball and netted home a powerful strike after arriving in the box at the right time.

Substitutes

Marc Guiu: 4/10 – Sidenetted his effort and couldn’t make much out of his limited time.

Tyrique George: N/A

Manager

Enzo Maresca: 7/10 – Despite the defensive lapses few and far between, Marseca should be credited for Chelsea continuing their aggressive style of play. The Italian boss will be delighted with the forward trio clicking to greater effect and the second-string players utilising their opportunities.

Also Read: Ferencvaros 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur: Player ratings as Spurs survive late scare to win second Europa League game in a row

Gent Player Ratings vs Chelsea

Goalkeeper

Davy Roef: 2/10 Lacked the help from his defenders for the first two goals but he should be doing better for Nkunku’s strike. A slight lapse caught him off guard. Also sloppy for the Blues’ fourth.

Defenders

Jordan Torunarigha: 3/10 Shouldn’t have allowed Mudryk to cross for Veiga’s opening goal. Also a tad slow to react to Dewsbury Hall’s strike.

Stefan Mitrovic: 5/10 Was lethargic for Chelsea’s opener as he should be doing better to deny Veiga’s header. However, he became more involved in the second half.

Tsuyoshi Watanabe: 6/10 Might have lacked the effort to deny Neto’s goal but made it up with a brilliant header. Involved in a lot of defensive actions, including a crucial block to thwart Nkunku’s strike.

Midfielders

Hugo Gambor: 4/10 – Failed to make a big impact

Archie Brown: 5/10 – Was outpaced by Neto for the second goal and did little to prevent that shot from going into the box. However, tried to make things happen up front.

Atsuki Ito: 4/10 – Defensively sloppy on many occasions and his efforts to progress the ball were also thwarted time and again

Mathias Delorge: 4/10 – Like Ito, Delorge found himself trailing behind for most of the game against Chelsea’s relentless attack.

Attackers

Franck Surdez: 3/10 – A poor outing for Surdez, who managed just one touch inside the penalty box.

Noah Fadiga: 2/10 – Literally a non-existent performance from Fadiga

Andri Gudjohnsen: 6/10 – Set up Watanabe’s goal with a brilliant lofted cross

Substitutes

Omri Gandelman: 7/10 – Made an instant impact by scoring a superb goal. Could have fancied more had he played longer.

Tiago Araujo: 6/10 – Fired his shot wide but still made 4 touches in the opposition box in the limited time.

Max Dean: 6/10 – Set up Gandelman’s strike.

Sven Kums: N/A

Manager

Wouter Vrancken: 5/10 – Vrancken expected a valiant effort from his side, and although it was true to an extent, several individual errors and the lack of cohesion during vital moments cost the Belgians dearly.

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