KU THAT'S A HUGE RELIEF

French star's penalty eases Enzo agony

- MIKE WALTERS

EVEN basket cases occasionally manage to weave the wicker strands together neatly enough.

After 16 months without European football at Stamford Bridge, Christopher Nkunku's penalty and Noni Madueke's slick finish made the Swiss roll over.

The Enzo Maresca era at Chelsea is up and running, and on this evidence they will have more than enough quality to sail through their Europa Conference League play-off second leg next Thursday.

If they made heavy weather of it at times, the smattering of boos at half-time were harsh and they got the job done.

But it is a measure of how far Chelsea have slipped down the snakes and ladders board that their maiden voyage in Europe's third-tier competition was not even on mainstream TV.

This is the club who won the Champions League only three years ago.

Now they are going head to head with clubs in a competition so mid-market that even West Ham won it 14 months ago.

And it still wasn't a ringing endorsement of owner Todd Boehly's spend, spend, spend regime.