Ghent fans ‘throw chairs’ and ‘tear banners’ at Stamford Bridge during 4-2 defeat to Chelsea – after supporters brought the lush streets of west London to a standstill ahead of the European clash

Ghent fans ‘threw chairs’ and ‘torn banners’ into the Stamford Bridge stands as their side slumped to a 4-2 defeat to Chelsea after causing chaos in west London earlier in the evening.

A second-string Blues side produced a free-flowing attacking display and gave Enzo Maresca some selection headaches as they matched Saturday’s Premier League victory over Brighton, albeit against weaker opponents.

After a string of early chances, Chelsea, who struggled through a play-off round against Serviette to get here, found an opener through Renato Veiga, who scored his first goal for the club thanks to a neat header at the back post.

Emphatic finishes from Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku came either side of a Tsuyoshi Watanabe strike near full time, before Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall raced into the penalty area to add a fourth.

But the action off the pitch often threatened to overshadow the display of creative football on the pitch, with frequent verbal exchanges between the supporter groups sometimes devolving into more serious incidents.

Ghent fans ‘threw chairs’ and ‘torn banners’ into the stands at Stamford Bridge as their side slumped to a 4-2 defeat

The action off the pitch often threatened to overshadow the exhibition of creative football on it

The more unpleasant scenes in the stadium emerged from a hectic atmosphere that developed before the match (credit: Anthony Celentano on X)

As police watched helplessly, a red glow created by the various pyrotechnics made its way through the normally quiet neighborhood in the capital (credit: anthony celentano on X)

Images circulated after the draw in the European Conference League showed Ghent fans throwing chairs and tearing up banners placed in the stands.

Although the away fans could be heard throughout the match, the chants generally seemed good-natured. At one point, Chelsea fans appeared to respond to the celebration of their counterparts holding up their phones with the torch on with the rebuttal: “What the fuck is that?”

They then further mocked the Ghent followers by making the same gesture with their devices after their team had scored.

The more unpleasant scenes inside the stadium stemmed from the frenetic atmosphere that emerged before the match, with the Belgian visitors able to see the lush streets of west London come to a standstill as they marched down the roads.

Ghent fans lit flares and sang to passersby in Parsons Green and Fulham as they got into the mood for the big game at Stamford Bridge.

As police watched helplessly, a red glow created by the various pyrotechnics made its way through the normally quiet area of ​​the capital.

Fans waved their scarves above their heads and danced in the middle of the road as cyclists tried to weave between different members of the march and buses were brought to a complete stop.

They ultimately saw their side turned around by an energetic Chelsea team, filled with players hoping to get into the manager’s plans.

Chelsea found an opener through Renato Veiga, who scored his first goal for the club

An emphatic finish from Christopher Nkunku came after a goal from Tsuyoshi Watanabe near the full time

Gent were toppled by an energetic Chelsea team, filled with players hoping to get into the manager’s plans

Veiga, the 21-year-old summer signing from Basel, was the best player of the evening and later assisted Nkunku to mark his France call-up with a goal yesterday.

“Every match is complicated,” said Maresca, dissatisfied with the way they conceded twice. “We have a lot of things we can do better: attack better, defend better.”

Chelsea fans already noticed a well-known surname for Ghent in Andri Gudjohnsen, son of Eidur. The 22-year-old was born in London on January 29, 2002 and the following day his famous father scored within two minutes of a 2-0 win over Leeds in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge.