Beyond a Premier League and FA Cup double one of Carlo Ancelotti’s most important legacies at Chelsea was pushing for the £25 million signing of David 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, scoring a stunning and precious goal to put Chelsea on the way to the victory they craved in their opening Group E match. It was a win, it was three points but it was far from convincing. There was no goal, again, for Fernando Torres who was restored to the starting line-up by Ancelotti’s successor, Andre Villas-Boas. Although involved in the build-up for both goals, carving out room for Juan Mata also, this was, once more, a modest performance from Chelsea’s other signing last January.
For this, his Champions League debut as a coach, Villas-Boas handed a couple of full home debuts with both Raul Meireles and Mata, his two key signings, making a line-up that owed much to rotation and a little to a roll of the dice. Villas-Boas had argued that this was the hardest competition to win but with Manchester United, away at Old Trafford on Sunday to come, there were big players rested. John Terry was not even required for the bench while Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka were among those substitutes.
It was a bold statement, a risky one also given the stakes even though this was round one. Terry and Lampard hold an obsession with playing that has even extended to the early rounds of the Carling Cup in the past, never mind Europe’s premier trophy.
It added unexpected uncertainty to the contest and there was also a confused opening few moments with Leverkusen having an effort ruled out from a corner for an apparent push and Chelsea also denied when Meireles strayed offside. Before that Torres had hooked a shot narrowly over.
Torres was in the thick of it. Booked for an ugly lunge he was then teed up superbly by Mata only to delay. He then made space and hade his shot blocked by rookie goalkeeper Bernd Leno before having a header deflected over from Florent Malouda’s cross.
Not that Leverkusen were penned in. With Michael Ballack, on his return to Chelsea, playing in the middle of a three behind a lone striker they pushed forward and pressed Chelsea who were rushed into conceding a rash of free-kicks. None were capitalised upon by the Germans, however. They then had to back-pedal with Mata, busy and quick and pulling defenders out of position, working hard to create opportunities.
One came when Malouda intercepted a stray pass and picked out Torres. With another sight of goal he, again, hesitated and Stefan Reinartz recovered only for Torres to be hustled into mis-controlling. It was not impressive but just as Chelsea appeared to be struggling for inspiration, Daniel Sturridge intervened.
Three times the striker was denied. First he struck a fierce cross-shot that was beaten out by Leno with the 19-year-old goalkeeper then reacting quickly to beat Sturridge to the ball as he ran in to meet Jose Bosingwa’s low cross. Finally Meireles, who had been fouled, took a quick free-kick with Sturridge turning nimbly to shoot first time from 25 yards only for his effort to drift narrowly wide.
There was a header, straight into Leno’s arms by Branislav Ivanovic, but Chelsea were labouring while Leverkusen’s attacks inevitably become more sporadic. From one Stefan Kiessling screwed a volley across goal.
On the touchline Villas-Boas was his usual, animated self, willing the ball forward, crouching and coaxing and continually gesturing his instructions. Leverkusen were organised and experienced and arrived with a history of being difficult to beat away from home – especially in the Bundesliga during the last campaign – while Torres was finding his bright start to the encounter difficult to sustain.
At times there was also a strangely subdued atmosphere. Maybe that was partly caused by a sense of the unknown — although there were also empty seats caused, it seemed, by Chelsea’s decision to raise ticket prices. Whatever, the Leverkusen fans were frequently more vocal.
There was also a shiver of apprehension for Chelsea as Leverkusen broke, with Lars Bender cutting inside and shaping to shoot only for Ivanovic to intercept. Soon after they created an even clearer chance with Ballack exchanging passes and stabbing a shot which Petr Cech blocked. Another brace of chances, meanwhile, fell to Torres who dabbed the first across goal and then failed to gain enough power with a header.
When André Schürrle cut through, only to half-hit a shot, Villas-Boas had seen enough. On came Anelka, on came Lampard but, before that, Leno turned Sturridge’s side-footed volley against a post. It was Sturridge’s last involvement. Finally, however, Chelsea were spurred into a breakthrough and it came with a typically barreling run by Luiz who stormed down the left to feed Malouda. The ball then went in to Torres whose lay-off was imprecise but was latched on to by Luiz who struck a crisp, low shot around Leno and into the net.
It transformed matters and, soon after, Mata’s shot was pushed over by Leno as Leverkusen reeled from the setback of conceding. The second goal came with the last kick as Torres sprinted down the left and pulled the ball back for Mata to stroke home and put a gloss on the scoreline.
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