Chelsea beat Heidenheim 2-0 on Thursday to extend their perfect Conference League record after four games and remain at the top of the continental table.

Chelsea has 12 points, Rapid Vienna and Legia Warsaw have a chance to equal this score later. The defeat marked Heidenheim’s first loss of points in the competition, although they still sit in sixth place ahead of later evening’s competition.

With the win, the Premier League team can avoid being eliminated from the tournament in the group stage and can now concentrate on getting into the top eight and making it to the round of 16.

In a tepid first half, Chelsea’s starting XI perhaps unsurprisingly struggled to come together, although Christopher Nkunku, Jadon Sancho and Marc Guiu in particular showed moments of great quality. Mykhailo Mudryk’s claim for a penalty was rejected despite VAR asking the pitch official to take another look at the pitchside monitor.

Heidenheim also experienced periods of pressure in the first 45 minutes and looked particularly dangerous in the transition phases, but before Serdar Gözübüyük’s half-time whistle, neither team really threatened to break the stalemate.

However, the second half almost immediately proved livelier as Nkunku scored in the 51st minute after a good first touch of the ball from Sancho’s cross from the right. It was the France international’s seventh European goal of the season and his 11th in all competitions.

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Heidenheim tried to recover and came close after a defensive mix-up. Benoît Badiashile left the ball after he thought he was going out of play, but Léo Scienza was able to hold onto it and fire a shot past the far post.

Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jørgensen had to make several good saves, especially after Paul Wanner was played into the background. The Bayern Munich loanee’s powerful shot was stopped by a strong left hand before Scienza’s tamer rebound bounced past the goal frame.

As the Bundesliga side poured their numbers forward, Chelsea looked to capitalize on the counterattack. João Félix played Nkunku into the deficit after the Portuguese star came on, but his strike partner was denied by Kevin Müller’s foot in the Heidenheim goal.

Heidenheim put the ball into the net through Max Breunig in the 79th minute, only to see it correctly ruled for offside, and Chelsea eventually ended the game as a battle as Sancho and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall exchanged passes before the The equalizer was scored by Mudryk, who smashed the ball into the top right corner.

The game undoubtedly represented the toughest test Enzo Maresca’s side have faced in Europe’s third-tier competition. On December 12, West London’s campaign against Astana in Kazakhstan continues. They will be without Cesare Casadei, who was sent off in the final throes of the game for a second yellow card.

They host Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Sunday.