Player ratings as Blues progress in Conference League despite shock defeat

Chelsea reached the aptly named 'league' stage of this season's UEFA Conference League after a 3-2 win over Servette in the play-off round.

The Blues opened up a 2-0 lead in the first leg at Stamford Bridge last week, before taking an early advantage in Switzerland courtesy of Christopher Nkunku's penalty kick (again).

But Jeremy Guillemenot canceled out that first-half strike, and Enzo Crivelli's substitute Servette secured a famous victory for the Swiss side, although it was not enough to clinch the tie.

How the game happened

As was the case in the first leg, Enzo Maresca made major changes to his first team, with Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and hat-trick hero Noni Madueke retaining their places in the weekend's Premier League win at Wolverhampton.

Chelsea were the dominant side from the start, and Fernandez went close in the first five minutes – his effort requiring a save. It wasn't long before the Blues opened the scoring and extended their lead to equaliser, Mudryk winning a penalty after being brought down by Servette's Keigo Tsunemoto as he won the ball high up the pitch.

Nkunku didn't make a mistake, he shot from the bottom corner, and the balloon came out.

Mudryk, Nkunku and Madueke all played a part in the win as Chelsea sat on top, looking comfortable in defence. But the home fans went wild when Guillemenot suddenly fed Servette on the night, finishing first to Filip Jorgensen after being played in by Dereck Kutesa as he drove into Chelsea's midfield.

At the same time on the other side, Joel Mall knocked down Nkunku trying to lift the ball over him. The home goalkeeper was again on the way as Madueke scored a goal when the first one was wrapped up, while Filip Jorgensen also saved the first time denying Kutesa.

As the second half began, Mudryk was rife with unproductive runs, picking poor passes or finding himself crowded when it mattered most.

The game ended up giving the impression of being alive without much in the way of tangible action. As the clock ticked into the final 90, neither team was creating clear-cut chances, with promising moves often breaking at the edges of both penalty areas.

And so it was, until a hopeful ball appeared in the box from Servette's right. The cross was not cleared and Crivelli managed to get through the space between Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo past a helpless Jorgensen, who got a light touch as the ball flew.

Needing another goal to level the scores, Servette felt blood, though Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson then found the ball in the net but it was ruled out by a very tight offside call. Cole Palmer, another of Maresca's subordinates, then hit the crossbar from an excellent position.

The roar of the home crowd drove Servette on six minutes into stoppage time and they almost forced extra time when Timothe Cognat bent a shot just wide.

GK: Filip Jorgensen – 6/10 – He had no chances when Servette equalized. They stood another chance when they took the lead but they cannot be blamed. He did many things very well.

RB: Axel Disasi – 6/10 – He marshalled a remarkably strong Chelsea side at the back.

CB: Tosin Adarabioyo – 5/10 – Handled the ball well in midfield at times, but not a polished defensive performance. It seemed out of control all the time.

CB: Benoit Badiashile – 5/10 – He seemed unsure of where he was with the others when the ball entered the box and scored Servette's second goal.

LB: Renato Veiga – 5/10 – He gave Miroslav Stevanovic plenty of time and space to cross that aforementioned goal, which put Chelsea under unnecessary pressure late on.

CM: Enzo Fernandez – 4/10 – I wasn't particularly impressed despite the first chance. A £108m player should absolutely be in charge of a game like this.

CM: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 5/10 – Considering he's now a replacement for Conor Gallagher, the comparison didn't go well for him here. Lack of adequate mobility.

RM: Noni Madueke – 6/10 – He did not express his feelings about the city of Geneva before kick-off, although no one would argue that they are better than Wolverhampton. Decent, not outstanding.

AM: Christopher Nkunku – 7/10 – Chelsea fans didn't see enough of him last season due to injuries but he shines in this competition. Scored in this area but good in the open game.

LM: Mykhailo Mudryk – 6/10 – In the end there was a lot of frustration on social media during the first leg but he won the first penalty by hitting the ball high. It is alive but it is changing.

ST: Marc Guiu – 5/10 – Even though Chelsea had the ball, the service did not come his way.

What you are holding

SUB: Tyrique George (62' for Madueke) – 5/10

SUB: Moises Caicedo (63' for Fernandez) – 6/10

SUB: Nicolas Jackson (63' for Guiu) – 6/10

SUB: Cole Palmer (72' for Mudryk) – 6/10

Subs used: Robert Sanchez (GK), Marcus Bettinelli (GK), Josh Acheampong, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella.

The manager

Enzo Maresca – 5/10 – He has changed his team a lot since the weekend, trying to use the full team he has. It was a gamble that really didn't work out.

Best player – Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea)

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