Gent fans cause chaos as Stamford Bridge seats used for missiles during Chelsea defeat
Gent travelled to Chelsea in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night, with their fans causing chaos in the stands, leading to a number of arrests by the Metropolitan Police
by Jacob Leeks · The MirrorThe Metropolitan Police made several arrests as Gent fans caused chaos during their side's defeat to Chelsea.
The Belgian side travelled to Stamford Bridge for a Europa Conference League clash on Thursday night. Enzo Maresca's hosts would ease to a 4-2 win to open up their campaign with a win.
But matters off the pitch would mar the game, with the visiting supporters growing rowdy as the game progressed. On their way in to the stadium, they took over the streets around the stadium with flares and blocked the roads, bringing buses to a halt.
Once inside, they took part in sets of aggressive chanting against the Chelsea fans, with matters coming close to escalating. Gent fans then began to rip their seats from their mountings before using them as missiles.
Several ended up at the bottom of the stand they were being housed in. The visiting supporters caused further carnage when they ripped off the Bobby Tambling banner from its position in the upper tier.
Following the game, Gent issued a statement praising the majority of their fans for their support. But they also revealed that the Metropolitan Police had to make several arrests, with the Belgian club waiting for further information.
"Our twelfth man gave the best of himself at Stamford Bridge. For 90 minutes our team was cheered on by 3,000 Ghent throats, a fantastic experience! Everyone at KAA Gent - from players to management - would like to thank them for their great support," the statement read.
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"Unfortunately, there were also some incidents in the stadium. Our club regrets this. The London police made some arrests and KAA Gent awaits further information about the investigation."
Away from the carnage in the away stand, goals from Renato Veiga, Pedro Neto, Christopher Nkunku and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. That left Blues boss Maresca delighted with his side.
"We are performing not only in attack but defensively very well. We are happy. I need to repeat always the same: For sure, we can do many, many things better - we can attack better and defend better," he said.
"Tonight probably the most important thing we can learn is even if we are 4-1, even to the final whistle you have to switch on, you cannot switch off. I think we conceded the second goal just because we saw the game was already finished.
"I think if we want to be one step forward, even when you are 4-1 and the game is almost finished, you need to continue and not concede another goal. We are really happy with the performance. These games are never easy."
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