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Played
September 13, 2011 7:45 PM BST
Stamford Bridge — London
Referee: S. Lannoy
Attendance: 33820
September 13, 2011 7:45 PM BST
Stamford Bridge — London
Referee: S. Lannoy
Attendance: 33820
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| Chelsea | 1.40 | 1.02 | 1.50 | 1.02 | 1.50 | 1.45 | 1.01 | 1.52 | 1.50 |
| Draw | 4.40 | 7.50 | 3.90 | 15.00 | 4.00 | 4.15 | 15.00 | 4.10 | 4.00 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 9.00 | 126.00 | 6.75 | 71.00 | 7.50 | 7.00 | 200.00 | 7.60 | 6.50 |
Top of the Match
Bernd Leno
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen
Fernando Torres
Chelsea FC
Chelsea FC
Flop of the Match
Stefan Reinartz
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen
Lars Bender
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen
Goal.com Rating 
Fans' Rating Chelsea 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen: Juan Mata taps home Fernando Torres assist as David Luiz returns with a bang
Andre Villas-Boas' side leave it until the second half to secure all three points as Torres turns provider with two assists as west London side make perfect start to campaign
By Steve Hewlett
Getty Images
Two second half goals from David Luiz and Juan Mata gave Chelsea the ideal start to their Champions League campaign after the London side were made to toil for the 2-0 victory against German outfit Bayer Leverkusen at Stamford Bridge in a game which saw Fernando Torres' goal drought continue.
The victory, the first for new boss Andre Villas-Boas in the competition, sees Chelsea take the early lead in Group E as they now turn their collective focus on next Wednesday's trip to Valencia.
Villas-Boas made a number of changes from the team which beat Sunderland at the weekend, Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka were named on the bench and Daniel Sturridge retained his spot with Fernando Torres returning to the starting XI in search of only his second goal since arriving in west London.
The visitors on the other hand were looking to continue their fine league form in their return to Europe's elite club competition after their last match back in March 2005 ended in a 3-1 defeat to Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool.
The game begun in fascinating form, under two minutes had elapsed when Fernando Torres, who is still struggling for goals at Stamford Bridge, hooked a shot over his head only to see it float over the Leverkusen crossbar. Moments later a cross found its way into the Chelsea net via the head of Simon Rolfes only to have the referee to chalk off the score for a foul on Torres.
The craziness continued with Chelsea apparently taking the lead when Torres tapped the ball beyond Bernd Leno in the Leverkusen goal after the deftest of touches from new signing Raul Meireles was decisive in beating the keeper. However the officials conferred and agreed that the touch from Meireles made him offside and another potential goal was disallowed. The television replays were not conclusive in clarifying the matter.
Chelsea didn’t let this deter them and Torres was there again after 10 minutes to try and break his dry spell but Leno denied him once more.
The half was end to end throughout with Sturridge seeming the most likely to open the scoring; and Torres clearly lacking self-confidence in his undeniable ability. The pattern was clear. Sturridge was testing Leno with a number of efforts but his more esteemed colleague was frequently failing to find the sweet spot and the German side were benefitting with this inaccuracy.
Apart from the Torres affair the other subplot of the game was the return of Michael Ballack, who was given a memento before kick-off for his service to Chelsea. The midfielder was relatively quiet in the first half and a chance to open the scoring came his way after 56 mintues but a sprawling Petr Cech managed to kick the ball from under him to keep the scores locked at 0-0.
Sturridge continued in his search for the opening goal and after the hour the youngster came very close to doing just that. A Juan Mata cross from the left was met at the back post by Sturridge whose jabbed effort into the post was clawed away from Leno, who was proving a tough opponent to beat for Chelsea. It would be the last act of Sturridge who was replaced along with Meireles, with Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard as Villas-Boas shook up the pieces in the search for a breakthrough.
That breakthrough was quick in arriving but not from an expected source. David Luiz, who had already been booked, let fly from the left side of the penalty box and his shot beat Leno low to his left and the relief at Stamford Bridge was palpable.
The goal took the wind out of Leverkusen's sails and any reaction from the visitors was now unlikely as Chelsea solidified their lead by taking off the already booked Luiz for Alex in a cautious but frugal move.
With Chelseas now in control, Torres was involved again as provider following up his assist on the first goal by laying the ball on a plate for Mata to double the lead moments before the final whistle.
The Chelsea fans would be pleased to make their way into the London night with a win but the continuing lack of goals from Torres persists and if a serious assault on this competition is to be sustained, the £50million man has to repay his massive fee sooner rather than later with goals in abundance. The emergence of Daniel Sturridge is certainly giving Villas-Boas food for thought though.
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The victory, the first for new boss Andre Villas-Boas in the competition, sees Chelsea take the early lead in Group E as they now turn their collective focus on next Wednesday's trip to Valencia.
Villas-Boas made a number of changes from the team which beat Sunderland at the weekend, Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka were named on the bench and Daniel Sturridge retained his spot with Fernando Torres returning to the starting XI in search of only his second goal since arriving in west London.
The visitors on the other hand were looking to continue their fine league form in their return to Europe's elite club competition after their last match back in March 2005 ended in a 3-1 defeat to Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool.
The game begun in fascinating form, under two minutes had elapsed when Fernando Torres, who is still struggling for goals at Stamford Bridge, hooked a shot over his head only to see it float over the Leverkusen crossbar. Moments later a cross found its way into the Chelsea net via the head of Simon Rolfes only to have the referee to chalk off the score for a foul on Torres.
The craziness continued with Chelsea apparently taking the lead when Torres tapped the ball beyond Bernd Leno in the Leverkusen goal after the deftest of touches from new signing Raul Meireles was decisive in beating the keeper. However the officials conferred and agreed that the touch from Meireles made him offside and another potential goal was disallowed. The television replays were not conclusive in clarifying the matter.
Chelsea didn’t let this deter them and Torres was there again after 10 minutes to try and break his dry spell but Leno denied him once more.
The half was end to end throughout with Sturridge seeming the most likely to open the scoring; and Torres clearly lacking self-confidence in his undeniable ability. The pattern was clear. Sturridge was testing Leno with a number of efforts but his more esteemed colleague was frequently failing to find the sweet spot and the German side were benefitting with this inaccuracy.
Apart from the Torres affair the other subplot of the game was the return of Michael Ballack, who was given a memento before kick-off for his service to Chelsea. The midfielder was relatively quiet in the first half and a chance to open the scoring came his way after 56 mintues but a sprawling Petr Cech managed to kick the ball from under him to keep the scores locked at 0-0.
Sturridge continued in his search for the opening goal and after the hour the youngster came very close to doing just that. A Juan Mata cross from the left was met at the back post by Sturridge whose jabbed effort into the post was clawed away from Leno, who was proving a tough opponent to beat for Chelsea. It would be the last act of Sturridge who was replaced along with Meireles, with Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard as Villas-Boas shook up the pieces in the search for a breakthrough.
That breakthrough was quick in arriving but not from an expected source. David Luiz, who had already been booked, let fly from the left side of the penalty box and his shot beat Leno low to his left and the relief at Stamford Bridge was palpable.
The goal took the wind out of Leverkusen's sails and any reaction from the visitors was now unlikely as Chelsea solidified their lead by taking off the already booked Luiz for Alex in a cautious but frugal move.
With Chelseas now in control, Torres was involved again as provider following up his assist on the first goal by laying the ball on a plate for Mata to double the lead moments before the final whistle.
The Chelsea fans would be pleased to make their way into the London night with a win but the continuing lack of goals from Torres persists and if a serious assault on this competition is to be sustained, the £50million man has to repay his massive fee sooner rather than later with goals in abundance. The emergence of Daniel Sturridge is certainly giving Villas-Boas food for thought though.
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Goal
Own Goal
Penalty
Penalty Missed
Yellow Card
Assist
Penalty Save
Penalty Shootout Goal
Penalty Shootout Miss
Yellow Card / Red Card
Red Card
Substitution IN
Substitution OUT
Injury
Goal.com Rating
Goal.com Man of the Match
Goal.com Flop of the Match
Top & Flop Global Ranking
Fans' Man of the Match
Fans' Flop of the Match
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Lionel Messi
Striker Barcelona |
14 | 4 |
|
Mario Gomez
Striker Bayern Munich |
13 | 0 |
|
Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker Real Madrid |
10 | 2 |
|
Karim Benzema
Striker Real Madrid |
7 | 0 |
|
Didier Drogba
Striker Chelsea |
6 | 0 |
