Gent fans ‘throw chairs’ and ‘rip up banners’ at Stamford Bridge during 4-2 defeat to Chelsea – after supporters brought plush west London streets to a standstill ahead of European clash
Gent fans ‘threw chairs’ and ‘ripped up banners’ in the stands at Stamford Bridge as their side slumped to a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Chelsea, after causing chaos in west London earlier in the evening.
A second-string Blues side put on a free-flowing attacking display to give Enzo Maresca some selection headaches as they matched Saturday’s Premier League win over Brighton, albeit against weaker opposition.
After a flurry of early chances Chelsea, who struggled through a play-off round against Serviette to be here, found an opener through Renato Veiga who bagged his first goal for the club thanks to a tidy header at the back post.
Emphatic finishes from Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku came either side of a Tsuyoshi Watanabe strike against the run of play, before Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall raced into the box to add a fourth.
But the action off the field often threatened to eclipse the exhibition of creative football on it, with frequent verbal exchanges between the sets of supporters at times boiling over into more serious incidents.
Gent fans ‘threw chairs’ and ‘ripped up banners’ in the stands at Stamford Bridge as their side slumped to a 4-2 defeat
The action off the field often threatened to eclipse the exhibition of creative football on it
The more unpleasant scenes in the stadium picked up on a hectic atmosphere created pre-match (credit: anthony celentano on X)
With police watching helplessly on, a red glow created by the various pyrotechnics made its way down the normally tranquil neighbourhood in the capital (credit: anthony celentano on X)
Images circulating after the European Conference League tie showed Gent fans throwing seats as well as ripping up banners affixed to the stands.
While the away supporters could be heard all match, the chants seemed generally benign. At one point, Chelsea fans seemed to respond to their counterparts’ celebration of holding their phones aloft with the torch on with the rebuttal, ‘What the f***ing hell is that?’
They then further mocked the Gent following by doing the same gesture with their devices after their side scored.
The more unpleasant scenes in the stadium picked up on a hectic atmosphere created pre-match, where the Belgian visitors could be seen bringing plush west London streets to a standstill as they marched along the roads.
The Gent fans lit flares and chanted at passersby in Parsons Green and Fulham as they got themselves in the mood for the big clash at Stamford Bridge.
With police watching helplessly on, a red glow created by the various pyrotechnics made its way down the normally tranquil neighbourhood in the capital.
Fans waved their scarves above their heads and danced in the middle of the road as cyclists tried to weave between the various members of the march and buses were brought to a complete halt.
They eventually saw their side get turned over by an energetic Chelsea outfit, filled with players hoping to get into the manager’s plans.
Chelsea found an opener through Renato Veiga who bagged his first goal for the club
An emphatic finish from Christopher Nkunku came after a Tsuyoshi Watanabe strike against the run of play
Gent were turned over by an energetic Chelsea outfit, filled with players hoping to get into the manager’s plans
Veiga, the 21-year-old summer buy from Basel, was the evening’s best performer, later assisting Nkunku so he could mark his France call-up yesterday with a goal.
‘Every game is complicated,’ Maresca said, unhappy with how they conceded twice. ‘We have many things we can do better – attack better, defend better.’
Chelsea fans noticed a familiar surname up front for Gent in Andri Gudjohnsen, son of Eidur. The 22-year-old was born in London on January 29, 2002 and it was at Stamford Bridge the following day that his famous father scored within two minutes of a 2-0 Premier League win over Leeds.
