Chelsea have successfully booked their place in the UEFA Europa Conference League group stage, despite a 2-1 defeat to Swiss side Servette in the second leg of their play-off, advancing on aggregate 3-2.
The Blues had arrived in Switzerland with a comfortable 2-0 lead from the first leg and Christopher Nkunku’s early penalty seemed to put the tie out of reach as Chelsea moved to a 3-0 aggregate advantage. However, Servette performed a more spirited comeback, with Jeremy Guillemenot reducing the deficit before halftime and Enzo Crivelli’s header with 20 minutes left setting up a nervy finish.
Servette pressed for an equalizer that would have forced extra time, while Chelsea struggled to regain control. Nicolas Jackson had a goal disallowed for offside and Cole Palmer hit the crossbar as the Blues missed chances to kill off the tie. Despite the late pressure, Chelsea held firm to secure their place in the group stage.
While the performance in Switzerland was far from convincing, Chelsea will be relieved to come away from St Jakob Park without an embarrassing upset. Attention now turns back to the Premier League, where Chelsea will look to capitalize on their European progression and steady their stuttering domestic form.
