Daily Times

Chelsea secured their first victory under new coach Enzo Maresca with a 2-0 victory over Servette in their Conference League play-off round first leg on Thursday. The hosts struggled to break down their opponents in the first half at Stamford Bridge before Christopher Nkunku put them in front with a 50th-minute penalty, just his fourth goal for the club. Marc Guiu somehow contrived to miss an open goal a few minutes later, but Noni Madueke moved Chelsea closer to a group-stage place ahead of next week’s second leg by firing home from Enzo Fernandez’s pass. Tiemoko Ouattara almost pulled one back for Swiss side Servette late on when his deflected strike hit the crossbar. It was a welcome win for Chelsea after suffering a 2-0 loss in Maresca’s debut game against Manchester City at the weekend. The Blues are making their return to European competition after finishing sixth in the Premier League last season under Mauricio Pochettino.