Chelsea proved their tag as favourites to win the Europa Conference League after their 4-2 victory over Gent at Stamford Bridge.

Mykhailo Mudryk’s cross was headed in by defender Renato Veiga in the 12th minute to open the scoring.

Just 49 seconds after halftime, Pedro Neto, a winger, scored a close-range goal after Axel Disasi’s long ball down the middle.

Gent could have thought they were back in the game for a little period of time when defender Tsuyoshi Watanabe’s header in the 50th minute overcame the video assistance referee’s check for offside.

However, the happiness didn’t last long for the Belgian travellers.

Thirteen minutes later, goalie Davy Roef was beaten by a low shot from versatile attacker Christopher Nkunku, who had scored his eighth goal of the season.

After Watanabe was unable to clear, midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who had wasted a fantastic opportunity in the first half, finished.

Omri Gandelman scored a late consolation goal to make up for some shoddy Chelsea left-wing defence.

With an entirely different starting lineup from the one that defeated Brighton 4-2 in the Premier League last Saturday, the performance showcased Chelsea’s formidable depth, but it also highlighted the disparity in resources between some of the teams participating in Europe’s third division.

This season, the Conference League will include a new 36-team league phase. Chelsea is attempting to secure a spot in the knockout rounds by finishing in the top eight.

But their ultimate goal in the competition is to be the first side to win the Conference League in addition to their prior Champions League and Europa League crowns.