bayer leverkusen 2-0

Independent:


Goal-shy Torres plays the assistant to give Chelsea perfect start

Chelsea 2 Bayer Leverkusen 0

By Sam Wallace at Stamford Bridge



Deep in injury-time last night with the opposition's goal in his sight and only the goalkeeper to beat, Fernando Torres had a decision to make. He could pull the trigger himself and try to end a run of games without a goal that goes back to April or he could square it to Juan Mata, who needed this goal much less than him. In fact, there is no-one in English football who needs a goal more than Torres does now.

That Torres opted to tee up Mata for Chelsea's second goal told us a little more about the mindset of the £50m striker who has just one goal in 23 games for the club he joined in January. It suggested that Torres is coping with the burden of being the highest-profile non-goalscoring goalscorer in English football. He took the unselfish option when, to put it bluntly, no-one would have blamed him for lashing the ball at goal.

For Torres it is inevitable at the moment that he will be the story if he scores and he will be the story if he does not. This was not the most confident Chelsea victory in a Champions League opener, that they dominated but did not score in until 65 minutes gone and two major substitutions made. Yet in the end it came down to how far down the line Chelsea are in getting Torres back to the kind of form that persuaded Roman Abramovich to pay all that money for him in January.
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The verdict last night? No goals but two assists. Anxious and tending to over-elaborate in front of goal when given his chance, Torres was a lot more assured in making the first goal for David Luiz and the second for Mata. Didier Drogba is not fit for Sunday's game against Manchester United, Andre Villas-Boas said last night, which means there is much less chance of Torres being left out at Old Trafford.

The Chelsea manager, who had an anxious debut in Europe's leading club competition, said that he had resolved the issues over Torres' controversial interview that the striker gave while on international duty last week. But there is still a great deal to do at Chelsea for this young manager who must balance the many egos and talents within his dressing room.

Villas-Boas made a bold move last night in leaving out John Terry and Frank Lampard from the team, the former of whom was not even on the bench. In the end he was forced to bring Lampard into the game, along with Nicolas Anelka, but there was no mistaking a major change of attitude towards two players who have always played when they have been fit.

You could justify the omission of Terry and Lampard from last night's team on a few grounds. Terry played every minute of both England games next week. Lampard played most of the second match. Both of them are not getting any younger. And both of them, presumably, will be required to play against United on Sunday.

But the point about Lampard and Terry is that these two have historically always played every Chelsea game. In previous years it would not have mattered if one of them had played two England internationals, every league game and five sets of tennis in the US Open final the night before. He would have started. By way of example, Terry even began the club's only Carling Cup game last season and Lampard may well have done had he been fit at the time.

Later Villas-Boas explained that it was an issue of "fairness" towards Lampard and Terry's team-mates, not a consideration that had ever been regarded as important under previous regimes. "It's just fairness [in regard] to the amount of talent that we have at our disposal," he said. "If you look in depth at our squad, you see the amount of talent we have. It would be a mistake for me not to try and keep everybody motivated. That's the task of any manager."

In their stead, Daniel Sturridge and Mata were in. This was new Chelsea. The mind drifted back to Torres' dream of a Chelsea team without the "old" and "slow" players cited in that interview. It was another big call from a manager who is marking himself out as a man prepared to make the tough decisions. But for him to be vindicated, his team needed to win.

Although in the last minute of the game Torres was cool enough to defer to Mata, he did not look so calm early on. A two-footed lunge on Simon Rolfes, for which the striker was booked, told you that he was wound up tight. As ever with Torres you find yourself asking those two questions. Has he lost something from his game? Or he is just very unlucky when it comes to the chances that fall his way?

On 28 minutes, Torres got the ball in the area in a promising position but, twisting and turning, could not get away from Rolfes in the Bayer Leverkusen penalty area. Chelsea had a goal ruled out for offside after just four minutes when Raul Meireles back-heeled Torres initial back-heel into the goal. Even before then Leverkusen had one disallowed themselves, and that decision looked harsh.

After the break, the best of Leverkusen's chances fell to Michael Ballack, returning to the club where the supporters retain a great fondness for him. The old boy never scored many for Chelsea and when he ran onto André Schürrle's knockdown you did not really fancy his chances. Even so it needed a very good save from Petr Cech to stop him.

A minute after Anelka and Lampard came on, Torres cushioned a cross from Florent Malouda into the stride of Luiz who did a very good job of beating goalkeeper Bernd Leno with a low shot from the edge of the area.

Immediately, the pressure was drawn out of the situation for Chelsea. Anelka was excellent and both Mata and Lampard went close with shots at goal before Torres broke free and cut the ball back for Mata to score. It was not a goal for Chelsea's most expensive asset. But it was the next best thing.


Man of the match Ivanovic.

Match rating 6/10.

Referee S Lannoy (France).

Attendance 33,820.




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Guardian:


Juan Mata seals Chelsea Champions League win against Bayer Leverkusen


Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge

André Villas-Boas's first brush with the Champions League may have proved something of a slog but, in victory, there were clear positives upon which to cling. The theory that Chelsea did not sign an expensive goalscorer in January continues to be exposed as a myth, even if it is David Luiz rather than Fernando Torres. Perhaps it is the Spaniard's role that should be reassessed. This was his night to be provider.
Each of Chelsea's goals resulted from Torres's lay-offs here, Juan Mata making a point of stirring the crowd to recognise his compatriot's contribution to the second, deep into stoppage time. This club is still seeking evidence that their £50m was well spent earlier in the year and Torres will not be remotely satisfied as a slick supply line rather than finisher, but any hint of form is to be cherished at present. Too much of the striker's career at Stamford Bridge to date has been traumatic.
Perhaps he had been stirred into a more threatening display by the reminder of his responsibilities delivered by his manager prior to this tie, following comments allegedly made in an interview with the Spanish league's website. Whether Torres had indeed suggested his "older" club-mates had been "very slow" in their approach play, and by implication nullified his own impact since his move to London, is still open to debate, but the issue appears to have been resolved. "The problem is solved, the problem is solved," said Villas-Boas. "The investigation [into the validity of the quotes, not the legitimacy of the sentiment] is over.
"We had a chat and the situation is solved. You saw a player very involved, who put in a good performance, like the team. Hopefully these things won't arise in the group again. If they do, I, as manager, will resolve them." Those comments contrasted with the manager hailing his entire team's "excellent work", "excellent effort" and "tremendous possession". Torres may have scored only one goal in 23 appearances for this club, but he has offered a persuasive case to be included at Manchester United on Sunday, particularly given Didier Drogba's absence with a head injury.
This might have been an even more awkward occasion than it actually proved. Villas-Boas's selection, with Frank Lampard on the bench and John Terry in the stands, had hinted at risk, though the quality Chelsea did field proved sufficient both to weather Leverkusen's threat and eventually erode the Germans' resistance. The flurry of opportunities created by the visitors around the hour mark had the locals' nerves jangling, the returning Michael Ballack denied by Petr Cech, having burst through on to Andre Schürrle's pass. Schürrle himself might have scored moments later, but the goalkeeper reacted well again. In truth, those were rare moments of alarm created amid the visitors' industry. It needed a flash of real flair to prise the contest apart.
Chelsea would privately have wished that that magical moment had been conjured by Torres, but the excellent Bernd Leno had thwarted him before the break to suggest this would be another evening of toil for little personal reward. Rather, it was David Luiz who claimed the limelight. The £23.5m signing from Benfica had not featured for club or country since being hauled unceremoniously from the fray by Carlo Ancelotti at half-time at Old Trafford in early May, a show of dissent following the visitors' early concession that day having spoiled an otherwise promising start to his career at the club. There had been a thigh injury since, but this was a return to the fray. If his defending can be unnecessarily risky at times, his unpredictability is an attacking threat to be tapped.
The gallop upfield midway through the second half was trademark, the ball flitting from Florent Malouda to Torres before David Luiz curled the Spaniard's lay-off gloriously round Stefan Reinartz and into the corner. He has scored three goals in 13 appearances for the Londoners. Torres has one from 23. "It's not the first time this season that you've seen our centre-halves breaking through, driving on with the ball," said Villas-Boas. "It's something we're proud of: all of them have that natural technical ability."
The drive and determination was Torres's in stoppage time, the burst away from Reinartz splaying Bayer open, with the forward unselfishly squaring for Mata to finish. Chelsea could take heart from the displays mustered by the new arrival from Valencia, the clever Raul Meireles and the ever eager and bright Daniel Sturridge, who had forced Leno into two smart saves and offered bite up front.
All will presumably be involved at Old Trafford on Sunday, along with Lampard and Terry. "That will be a different kind of challenge altogether," said the manager. "We face United perhaps in their most tremendous moment of motivation, flair and style. But I think it provokes in us a good challenge. We will go there to try to win it. Let's see what happens."
As for Torres, however, Villas-Boas refused to confirm if the Spaniard's contribution here was enough to make the starting XI for Sunday. "I have to make a decision. We have another couple of days to train, and he will compete with the other four for that position. We have to take the best decision possible," said the Chelsea manager.







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Telegraph:


Chelsea 2 Bayer Leverkusen 0

By Jason Burt, Deputy Football Correspondent, at Stamford Bridge



This was a bit of hair-raiser for Chelsea. And not just because David Luiz scored another of his buccaneering specials of a goal but because Andre Villas-Boas rolled the dice with his team selection, leaving out some big players, on what was his Champions League debut and came out with a precious victory.

When he won the Europa League last season, with Porto, Villas-Boas joked that maybe he was a lucky manager.

He was a little fortunate last night, for sure, with the impressive Juan Mata’s goal deep into injury time adding a gloss to the scoreline. Chelsea deserved the win but it was not totally convincing.

There were two assists for Fernando Torres, also, but that was deceptive. Restored to the starting line-up, as expected, he struggled after a bright start, spurning chances, and his shoulders eventually drooped .

Significantly, Luiz gestured to the crowd after his goal to make sure no one was in any doubt that it was Torres’s lay-off that had provided him with the opportunity to finish with such aplomb. Luiz and Torres are linked, of course. Both arrived at Chelsea in January with big price tags – £25 million and £50 million respectively – and beyond a Premier League and FA Cup double the season before, one of Carlo Ancelotti’s most important legacies was pushing for the signing of Luiz.

He believed the Brazilian could become the best central defender in the world but last night, on his return to the team, Luiz again showed that he perhaps has ambitions to be the best striker. Without his dramatic intervention, charging down the left to find Florent Malouda and then reach Torres’s pass to bend his first-time shot cleverly, Chelsea might not have gained the victory they craved in their opening Group E match.

Leverkusen had chances also. They had a goal ruled out, perhaps wrongly, in the opening minutes from a corner and then Michael Ballack, on his return to Stamford Bridge, spurned a golden opportunity as he ran on to a clever through ball to breach the Chelsea defence. Clear on goal, he stabbed a shot but Petr Cech blocked.

Maybe, almost as crucially, Ballack was withdrawn and soon after Villas-Boas had seen enough as his side laboured. He brought on Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka who had been names as substitutes with Sunday’s visit to Manchester United in the Premier League in mind. John Terry, indeed, did not even make the squad as he was held back.

It was a bold statement, a risky one also given the stakes even though this was round one of the competition. But Villas-Boas was typically dismissive of such concerns, saying it was “fairness to the talent we have” that he rotated and that he “didn’t see any braveness in it”. He added: “I don’t see things like that. I think you are trying to look at the negative where there are so many positives. We have a very competitive squad.”

He was equally withering of any attempts to suggest that, perhaps, he had been fortunate. “How many chances did we have? Numerous,” Villas-Boas said.

Chelsea did have numerous chances, 22 in all, but Leverkusen had 11. They did not roll over and even though their rookie 19-year-old goalkeeper, Bernd Leno, had an outstanding game he was not the only active goalkeeper on show. He did well, though, to deny Torres, with his feet, and also beat out a fierce cross-shot from Daniel Sturridge.

Sturridge was lively, almost reaching a low cross, and then swivelling and firing close from a quick free-kick but Mata was even more of a live wire. His arrival has added energy, vision and speed to Chelsea as he continually pushed and probed.

Chances came. Malouda intercepted a stray pass and picked out Torres but, with another sight of goal, he, again, hesitated and Stefan Reinartz recovered with the striker hustled into mis-controlling. Later the Spaniard dabbed another effort across goal and failed to gain enough power with a header.

If he was subdued, then so was the crowd. Stamford Bridge was far from full – a result of the early stages of this competition but also a hike in prices – and there then grew an unease as Leverkusen started to work their way into the contest. Lars Bender cut inside and shaped to shoot only for Branislav Ivanovic to intercept and then André Schürrle broke through before half-hitting a shot which Cech fielded easily.

On the touchline Villas-Boas was his usual animated self, willing the ball forward, crouching and coaxing and continually gesturing his instructions.

But he had to make changes. On came the big guns but before that, Leno turned Sturridge’s sidefooted volley against a post. It was Sturridge’s last involvement. Finally, however, Chelsea were spurred into a breakthrough and it came from Luiz. The goal rocked Leverkusen. Soon after, Mata’s shot was pushed over by Leno as the Germans reeled but just as it seemed the relief of a second goal would not come, Torres was released down the left, holding off challenges and pushing his way into the area.

Torres may have shot but had the presence of mind to pull the ball back to Mata who swept home his second goal for his new club in two home games. A Spaniard scored for Chelsea. Villas-Boas will say it does not matter who gets the goals, but inside he can be forgiven for wishing it was Torres.

“The problem is solved. It’s not a case for CSI,” he said, responding to questions over Torres’s troublesome interview last week. But, despite the gloss, another problem persists.







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Mail:



Chelsea 2 Bayer Leverkusen 0: David Luiz back with a bang for Blues

By MATT BARLOW


The man who sells big frizzy wigs in the Fulham Broadway is back in business with the return to cult status of David Luiz.

Whether it is enough to revive the London economy remains to be seen but his beautiful strike, 23 minutes from time, helped Andre Villas-Boas secure a winning start in his first Champions League campaign.

Juan Mata added the second in stoppage time to end Bayer Leverkusen's resistance, with both goals stylishly created by Fernando Torres.

After grumbling about the pace of his team, the £50million striker appeared far happier last night but, in goal terms, slipped further behind the Brazilian centre half who arrived on the same day in January.

Luiz was last seen shrugging shoulders and shaking his mop in the direction of Carlo Ancelotti as Chelsea surrendered the Barclays Premier League title at Old Trafford in May.

Ancelotti hauled him off at half-time that day and never picked him again. As the Italian was sacked, images of the shaggy-haired South American denying responsibility for his mistake seemed to sum up a campaign that promised so much and delivered so little.

In the four months which followed, Luiz was barely seen. He went off to the Copa America with the national team. He did not play for Brazil but the tournament ensured he would return late for pre-season and minor injuries stalled his progress further.

It was an astonishing fall from grace for a £25m player who dazzled when he first arrived, with his adventurous style and vital goals, against Manchester United and City.

On Tuesday night came his rebirth, nicely timed, ahead of Chelsea's return to Old Trafford on Sunday. Villas-Boas gave Luiz a game as he told John Terry to take a breather. It was a bold call, not least because it was coupled with a decision to leave Frank Lampard on the bench.

With Didier Drogba still suffering the after-effects of concussion, it was Petr Cech who led out the team and Torres was asked to be the spearhead. If this was a weakened team, it was a very expensive one.

In front of a disappointing crowd of less than 34,000, Torres looked sharp, though misfortune continued to haunt him in front of goal, from the moment he turned a smart volley over the bar in the first minute.

He glanced a header so fine it cannoned off the marker he had shrugged off and was then thwarted by a fine challenge from Stefan Reinartz after Florent Malouda's had slid him clear.

As frustrations built, he lunged at Simon Rolfes and was booked before another ambitious effort sliced away towards a corner flag.

Torres cannot complain that his team were not slick enough last night. Chelsea displayed great energy and desire, and the game pulsed at a healthy tempo, helped by Leverkusen's own ambition to score.

Both teams had goals ruled out in the first few minutes. First Rolfes nodded the ball into Cech's net from close range, but the whistle had gone for a foul. Then Raul Meireles was denied, having drifted slightly offside before diverting a miscued backheel from Torres into the net with a miscued backheel of his own.

Villas-Boas twitched and skipped in his technical zone, leaping high into the air as Daniel Sturridge exploded into life, cutting in from the right and testing keeper Bernd Leno with a fierce left-footer.

The 19-year-old Leno performed brilliantly, saving twice more from Sturridge either side of the break.

It came as a surprise when Villas-Boas opted to take off Meireles and Sturridge ahead of Torres in the 65th minute, but on came Lampard and Nicolas Anelka and the decision was soon justified.

Leverkusen reacted by replacing Michael Ballack, who was warmly applauded on his return to Stamford Bridge but ought to have broken the deadlock when he burst clear early in the second half. Cech made an important save with his legs.

Within a minute of Ballack's exit, Chelsea were ahead, with Torres nursing the perfect pass into the path of Luiz, who bounded forward and curled a right-footer low inside the far post from 20 yards.

His defending may leave a little to be desired at times but he knows where the net is. This was his third goal in 13 games for the club, compared to one in 23 for Torres, who may have found a role as a creator.

In the second minute of added time, the Spain striker sprinted from halfway, rode a tackle and unselfishly squared a pass for the impressive Mata to apply a simple finish.


MATCH FACTS

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Luiz (Alex 76), Cole, Mikel, Sturridge (Anelka 64), Malouda, Meireles (Lampard 65), Mata, Torres. Subs not used:Hilario, Ferreira, McEachran, Kalou.

Yellow cards: Torres, Luiz.

Scorers: Luiz 67, Mata 90+3.


Bayer Leverkusen: Leno, Castro, Reinartz, Toprak, Kadlec, Rolfes, Bender (Balitsch 80), Ballack (Renato Augusto 76), Sam (Derdiyok 73), Kiessling, Schurrle.Subs not used: Yelldell, Schwaab, Friedrich, Bellarabi.

Yellow cards: Castro, Bender, Derdiyok.


Attendance: 33,820.

Referee: Stephane Lannoy (France).





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Mirror:


Chelsea 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen: Torres gives Luiz and Mata a hand

By Martin Lipton



Torres, back in the starting line-up, had spent 90 minutes of personal suffering, of angst and frustration, broken only with the lay-off that allowed David Luiz to edge Andre Villas-Boas' side ahead of the gritty German challenge.

It was not that Torres was bad. Certainly he was better than he looked when he came on at Sunderland at the weekend, but he still appeared to be a man in the middle of a living nightmare.

Like it or not, one goal in eight months is an unacceptable return for a British record £50million signing, a record that makes Andriy Shevchenko's tally of 22 in 87 games for the Blues seem prolific.

After all, Torres was supposed to be the man who would give Chelsea the killer instinct that would turn them into Champions League winners after all the years of disappointment and his failure to deliver seemed all the greater because of the weight of expectations.

Last night, with John Terry and Frank Lampard rested, Torres was even more the centre of attention and despite his key part in Luiz's goal, he hardly looked like a stellar talent, put in the shade by the performances of Daniel Sturridge, Juan Mata and Raul Meireles, as well as second half replacement Nicolas Anelka.

Yet Torres, to the delight and relief of most of those inside the Bridge, was saving the best until last.

Only seconds were left on the clock when Torres received the ball out on the left, reverting to the surging model of his Liverpool days as he drove powerfully and unstoppably into the box.

Aware of his desperation for a goal, the crowd stood, willing Torres to set the net rippling, urging him to pull the trigger.

Instead, clam, unselfish, unflurried, Torres looked up, spotted Mata to his right, rolled the ball into the path of his fellow countryman, who could not miss.

A roar, delight, and Mata milked the moment, running to embrace Torres, pointing to the striker, telling the crowd to hail the man who had made his second Chelseas goal in three games possible.

Torres had created one more in 23 minutes than he has scored in 23 appearances for the Blues yet this seemed as if it was a momentous incident, maybe, at last, the turning point the Spaniard needed.

That will become clearer over the weeks and months to come. Torres has to score, soon and often and the pressure will be on him to do exactly that at Old Trafford on Sunday.

But what it definitely bought Torres and Villas-Boas was breathing space, leeway, time to get things right, exactly what the manager and player both needed.

Admittedly, this was not a display to suggest Chelsea are favourites to be running out in the Allianz Arena in Munich in May, although Barcelona, of course, were held at home by AC Milan.

Yet it was a win, albeit one that would have been seriously endangered had former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack not fluff his chance to make a final SW6 impression just before Luiz put the Blues in front.

And at this stage of the season, with four victories and a draw from his first five games in charge. Villas-Boas will settle for the victory and the extra zip and pace that the arrivals of Mata and Meireles, and the return of Sturridge, have given his side.

That vim and vigour did not look as if it would be rewarded for more than an hour, as Leverkusen's resolves threatened to frustrate the Blues.

Torres was inches over at the outset and found himself denied by Leno and last-gasp Leverkusen tackles, Meireles had a goal rightly chalked off - just after Simon Rolfes had a strike disallowed at the other end - and Sturridge went close three times all before the break.

Yet while Torres and Sturridge both came close in the second half, it was only when Villas-Boas turned to the cavalry and sent on Lampard and Anelka that the Germans cracked.

Instantly, Torres turned Ashley Cole's low centre into the path of Luiz, who curled home, and after Lampard, Mata and Anelka all went close, Torres made his second and most important contribution to set up Mata. All he needs now, you feel, is that goal.





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Sun:


HE'S THE CREATORR
£50m Fernando Torres is Chelsea's pass master
Chelsea 2 v Bayer Leverkusen 0

From SHAUN CUSTIS at Stamford Bridge



FERNANDO TORRES may have forgotten how to take them — but he certainly knows how to make them.

The £50million Spanish striker drew another blank last night to extend his woeful scoring record to just one in 23 games in a Chelsea shirt.

But Torres the provider was a different story altogether as he set up David Luiz and Juan Mata for the goals which broke the Germans' resistance.

The former Liverpool man had brought huge pressure on himself with a much publicised interview in which he criticised his team for being too old and too slow.

Torres, 27, wants quicker players around him and he hailed the arrival of Mata as an example of a signing he believed would bring the best out of him.

Manager Andre Villas-Boas decided to see if his actions could back up his words.

The boss paired Mata and livewire Daniel Sturridge as the support act to Torres while dispensing with some of the old guard.

Of the over-30s club, skipper John Terry was omitted from the squad altogether, while Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka were left on the bench.

It was a pragmatic decision with one eye on Chelsea's big Premier League visit to Manchester United on Sunday.

But the Blues only took the game by the scruff of the neck when Lampard and Anelka joined the action midway through the second half.

This was Villas-Boas' first Champions League match as a manager. But his team selection suggested he regards domestic matters as the priority — whatever the desire of owner Roman Abramovich to land Europe's biggest prize.

There was a Carling Cup feel to the occasion, with the changes in personnel and a rather subdued atmosphere among home fans around Stamford Bridge which was only three-quarters full.

Torres, though, will take great confidence from his part in last night's success and both Luiz and Mata made a special point of congratulating him on his assists.

Torres almost made an instant impact with an overhead kick from the first attack which flew just over the bar.

Both sides had goals disallowed in the space of 30 seconds. Captain Simon Rolfes headed in for the visitors and it was hard to see why the ref ruled it out.

Then Raul Meireles got the faintest of backheel touches into the net but it was rightly scrubbed out for offside.

Torres was tearing around, desperate to impress but he got carried away on the touchline and went right through Rolfes to earn a yellow card. Once he had the ball, he took a pass from his pal Mata and hit a left-foot shot which keeper Bernd Leno saved with his outstretched foot.

It was Torres' partner Sturridge who looked the more dangerous.

The England Under-21 striker has come on a ton since his loan spell at Bolton and watching Three Lions boss Fabio Capello must surely have him in his thoughts.

Sturridge livened things up with a magnificent turn and strike from 25 yards which fizzed low towards the bottom corner but Leno, diving to his left, scrambled it away.

Then he took a pass from Meireles, turned and whipped in another fierce strike which curled away from the upright.

Lampard was getting itchy feet and began warming up to much applause at the start of the second half.

The England midfielder was watching as Torres rose well to meet a Florent Malouda cross but his header was comfortably saved after which Leverkusen should have taken the lead through old-boy Michael Ballack.

The ex-German captain played a one-two on the edge of the area and when he got it back he was staring at the whites of former team-mate Petr Cech's eyes.

Cech came out, Ballack rushed his right-foot shot and the keeper blocked well. Leverkusen were finding their feet and Andre Shurrle tested Cech, too, with an effort from 12 yards.

It was a brief flurry from the visitors and Chelsea soon regained the initiative.

Sturridge went close again as he met Ashley Cole's cross but Leno did really well to push the ball on to the post.

Villas-Boas decided it was time for change with Anelka and Lampard replacing Sturridge and Meireles.

They had only just come on when Chelsea took the lead on 67 minutes as Luiz, the £24m centre-back with the dodgy barnet, made a bursting run from half-way and fed Cole.

The ball in was laid back perfectly by Torres and Luiz, making his first appearance of the season, curled a brilliant shot into the far corner. A case of Hair 1 Herr 0.

The Blues tails were up now, and Mata's effort was tipped over by the flying Leno.

But with the game three minutes into added time Torres got clear down the left and headed for the penalty area.

He had a choice. He could have shot from a tight angle and tried to get a much needed goal to add to his meagre tally.

Instead, he chose the correct option by squaring to Mata who had the easiest of tasks to slide the ball home.

Nothing the Mata with that at all.




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Star:


DAVID LUIZ LIFTS BLUES: CHELSEA 2 - B LEVERKUSEN 0


By Danny Fullbrook



DAVID LUIZ lit up Stamford Bridge last night with a wonder goal.

It was exactly whatChelsea needed as the Blues had been disappointing untilLuiz struck in the 67th minute.

The Brazilian central defender was making his first appearance of the season and his superb run set up the chance as he came surging forward and slipped a pass toAshley Cole

The left-back played the ball into Fernando Torres, who prodded it back into the path of Luiz and his first-time shot was caressed low into the far corner.

Torres was also the provider for Chelsea’s second goal in injury-time.

The Spaniard drove forward and from the left side unselfishly squared the ball to Juan Mata to slide home into an empty net.

Until Luiz’s breakthrough Chelsea had been thankful to their goalkeeper Petr Cech.

He made a great save from former Chelsea star Michael Ballack.

The German midfielder could have enjoyed a moment of glory as he was put clean through on goal after playing a clever one-two which opened up the Blues. It was Ballack’s first return to Stamford Bridge since being released last summer.

But as he thundered in on goal his 59th-minute effort was smothered by a sharp save from Cech, who had hardly been called on during the game.

Torres was given his chance last night to prove his point in front of Nicolas Anelka.

The striker has been warned by club and country that if he does not starting scoring goals he will be left on the sidelines.

The former Liverpool hitman is in hot water with boss Andre Villas-Boas for moaning that the Chelsea team is too old and slow.

But that did not stop the pragmatic Portuguese boss picking him last night. However, the rookie boss did make a few surprise selections.

This was the first time he had managed in the Champions League after winning the Europa League last year with Porto. But he had enough confidence in his side to go into the game without club stalwarts John SDHpTerry and Frank Lampard.

The Blues skipper was left out of the side completely – obviously with the manager having an eye on Sunday’s game against Manchester United at Old Trafford – and was replaced by Luiz.

Lampard, in contrast, was on the bench as Villas-Boas went with a midfield trio of John Obi Mikel, Raul Meireles and the recalled Florent Malouda.

Villas-Boas insisted that his side did not have a mental block when it came to the Champions League, despite reaching five semi-finals in six years and only one losing final from that.

But Ballack feels the penalty shoot-out defeat by Manchester United in the 2008 final has stuck in their minds.

Villas-Boas insists he will not be judged by his Champions League record, but of course he will because Roman Abramovich has sacked the ­previous six managers who have failed to deliver for him.

The Chelsea fans made their point about the competition as the Bridge was far from full last night with loads of empty seats due to a boycott over the 33 per cent price rise for tickets. The game started brightly as the ball was in the back of both nets inside the first four minutes, though both strikes were disallowed.

Leverkusen’s Simon Rolfes headed home at the far post, but there had been a push in the Chelsea area in the build-up.

Then at the other end a backheel from Torres was followed by one from Meireles, but the former Liverpool midfielder was rightly flagged offside.

Torres was clearly up for the game and could have been sent off for his tackle in the ninth minute on Rolfes, but luckily for him he was only shown a yellow.

The start of the game was typically all about Torres.

He had already seen an overhead kick from a Jose Bosingwa cross fly over the top of the crossbar.

Then he was denied a goal after the Leverkusen keeper Bernd Leno saved with his left foot from an underhit shot.

Chelsea were far from inspiring but in the 34th minute the ground came alive as a fierce long-range shot from Daniel Sturridge was saved low down by Leno. The young striker was doing his best to liven the game up and flashed another effort just wide.

Chelsea were lucky that Leverkusen were showing little attacking threat.

On the touchline Villas-Boas was doing his own version of Basil Fawlty, with the way he leapt about and became immersed in the game.

Luiz can be great going forward, and the former Benfica star showed that with a run and pass at the start of the second half.

That pass found Sturridge, but his cross just evaded the Brazilian defender who had sprinted into the penalty area.

England manager Fabio Capello was in the stands watching Sturridge, who was Chelsea’s sharpest player on the night before he was replaced by Anelka.

Just before he was taken off, Sturridge met a cross from Malouda with a volley which Leno did well to turn on to the post.




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Express:


LEVERKUSEN 0 CHELSEA 2: DAVID LUIZ GIVES ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS GREAT START

By Tony Banks


ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS is a man who likes to work out the percentages, make sure of all the facts, check every angle. But last night he took a chance – and it paid off. Just.

Chelsea opened their Champions League campaign with a two-goal victory at Stamford Bridge, as Brazilian David Luiz stepped up to rescue his manager from embarrassment and Juan Mata’s late strike made the scoreline more comfortable.

Andre Villas-Boas took the huge gamble of leaving out skipper John Terry and confining Frank Lampard to the bench – and he nearly ended up with egg on his face as stubborn Bayer Leverkusen threatened a real upset.

But it was centre-back Luiz who saved the day in the 67th minute, striding forward to crack in a right-footed shot from the edge of the area – in his first game of the season.

It was, though, another night of misery for Fernando Torres as he suffered another shut-out, even if he helped set up Luiz’s goal and made a decisive contribution to Mata’s strike.

Terry and Lampard were not the only major stars left out – so was striker Nicolas Anelka – with Sunday’s crunch Premier League clash at Manchester United looming.

Torres was recalled to lead the attack, still with only one goal in 22 competitive games for the club since his arrival last January.

It was a huge risk, with this the opening game of the group and German teams always stubborn opposition. It was a selection from Villas-Boas, making his Champions League debut as a manager, that could easily have blown up in his face. The fans seemed, though, to share the feeling – Stamford Bridge was far from a sell-out.

After five semi-finals in six years, the past two campaigns had been a major disappointment under Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea going out in the last 16 two years ago and the quarter-finals last season. It is the competition that owner Roman Abramovich covets, and though Villas-Boas insisted before the game that his future would not hang on it, history shows that the truth is rather different.

In the Leverkusen line-up was former Blues favourite Michael Ballack, discarded in the summer of 2010 after four years, three FA Cups, one league title and one league cup at Stamford Bridge.

Torres had claimed this week that Chelsea had been playing too slowly and their players were too old. Perhaps he was intent on showing them the way as he flashed a hooked shot just wide in the first minute.

Leverkusen gave Chelsea a major scare as Simon Rolfes forced the ball home, but the goal was fortunately disallowed. Villas-Boas’s team went straight back down the other end and Raul Meireles flicked home – but he was offside. Then Mata crossed and Torres saw his low drive kept out by keeper Bernd Leno’s foot. But his best opportunity, when clean though from Florent Malouda’s pass, saw the Spaniard’s poor touch let him down.

Leverkusen, who started their Bundesliga season slowly but are unbeaten in their last four games, were well-organised and worked ferociously hard to close down Chelsea’s space – and the Germans counter-attacked with pace, as Lars Bender was only just thwarted and then Andre Schurrle flashed a shot wide.

It was clearly not going to be an easy night. Torres suffered yet more frustration as his glancing header was saved by Leno. The Germans were gaining in confidence as Chelsea seemed to be running out of ideas, Torres yet again fading after a bright start, but Daniel Sturridge and Mata were also finding it hard to make any headway.

Villas-Boas threw on a double substitution to try to turn the tide as Lampard and Anelka were pushed into the fray – and within four minutes the deadlock was broken.

Luiz had made several dangerous runs forward and he burst clear again, played a delightful one-two with Torres – and slotted the Spaniard’s return pass right-footed into the corner from 18 yards. It was a precious goal, in the nick of time. Anelka had suddenly transformed the Chelsea attack with his runs – twice setting up Mata, once for a shot that was pushed away, and then another that he fired over.

In the second minute of injury time the suffering Torres made another vital intervention. He set up Mata, who beat the keeper from eight yards.

Chelsea were winners by two goals but in reality it was a skin-of-the-teeth performance.


Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Luiz (Alex 76), Cole; Meireles (Lampard 65), Mikel, Malouda; Sturridge (Anelka 64), Torres, Mata. Booked: Luiz, Torres. Goals: Luiz 67, Mata, 90.

Bayer (4-5-1): Leno; Castro, Reinartz, Toprak, Kadlec; Schurrle, Bender (Balitsch 80), Ballack (Augusto 66), Rolfes, Sam (Derdiyok 73); Kiessling. Booked: Castro, Bender, Sam.

Referee: S Lannoy (France).