Chelsea vs Bayer Leverkusen LIVE
Newly-crowned world champions Chelsea opened their truncated pre-season campaign with a win on Friday night, downing Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have very little time to get in gear before the 2025-26 Premier League campaign kicks off next weekend, and they made a good start towards that end on Friday night.
Over a year on from signing with the club, Estevao made a long awaited Chelsea debut and was brilliant, opening the scoring in the first half as he tapped home after Cole Palmer’s lob hit the crossbar. Most encouraging was his link-up play - after just a few days of training with his new teammates, his chemistry with Palmer and Andrey Santos was tangible, and kept Leverkusen on the back foot for long stretches. They will have been glad to see him replaced in the second half.
Joao Pedro doubled the Blues’ advantage with the last kick of the game, firing low past Mark Flekken from the edge of the area. Similar to Estevao, he has quickly won over the Chelsea faithful after scoring some key goals at the Club World Cup, including one in the final. He continued that goalscoring form on debut in SW6, and shows real signs of promise.
Chelsea vs Bayer Leverkusen latest news
- GOAL! Joao Pedro makes it two
- GOAL! Estevao hits debut goal
- Kick off: 7pm BST, Stamford Bridge
- How to watch: DAZN, Channel 5
Catch up on the action
20:59 , Arthur FerridgeWillian Estevao and Joao Pedro were on the scoresheet as Chelsea opened pre-season with a win over Bayer Leverkusen.
It was an impressive performance from the Blues, who looked remarkably comfortable throughout the match, with debutants impressing and established players also producing impressive performances.
FULL TIME: Cheslea 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:50 , Arthur FerridgeThat does it at Stamford Bridge! Pedro scores with the last kick of the game.
GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:47 , Arthur Ferridge90mins: Joao Pedro continues his fine scoring form from the Club World Cup with a goal at Stamford Bridge. He fires home low from the edge of the box.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:46 , Arthur Ferridge89mins: Jorgensen is quick off his line to claim a Leverkusen free-kick.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:43 , Arthur Ferridge85mins: Hato’s long-range effort is wide of the mark.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:40 , Arthur Ferridge83min: Essugo has been very impressive since coming on. Has a lot of very similar qualities to one Moises Caicedo, which can only be a good thing.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:36 , Arthur Ferridge79mins: Pedro has a pop from range but it is an easy save for Flekken.
Sam Tabuteau at Stamford Bridge
20:33 , Arthur FerridgeEstevao makes way, a scintillating performance from the Brazilian, who looks right at home.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:33 , Arthur Ferridge76mins: Antwi, Rak-Sakyi, and Anselmino come on for Acheampong, Estevao, and Santos.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:32 , Arthur Ferridge75mins: Chelsea will be disappointed not to have scored a second here. That said, they haven’t been overly threatening for much of this second half.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:31 , Arthur Ferridge74mins: Neto misreads a ball over the top and takes it on his head. Whether or not he meant to is up for debate.
Sam Tabuteau at Stamford Bridge
20:29 , Arthur FerridgeYou can tell Hato has come into provide cover for Marc Cucurella. The Dutchman keeps coming centrally to look for the ball in midfield.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:24 , Arthur Ferridge68mins: Gittens produces some tidy footwork off the left but can’t find any end product.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:22 , Arthur Ferridge66mins: Gittens skips past his man and tees up Estevao, who shoots wide.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:21 , Arthur Ferridge65mins: James, Pedro, and Gittens replace George, Gusto, and Delap.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:20 , Arthur Ferridge63mins: Acheampong challenges Schick in the corner. The big Czech trips over his feet and loses possession.
Sam Tabuteau at Stamford Bridge
20:19 , Arthur FerridgeJamie Gittens is the latest debutant being readied for Chelsea. Hard to keep up with all the attacking talent on display and you feel Tyrique George, who hasn't had his best game tonight, could fall victim to the Blues' conveyor belt of players.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:18 , Arthur Ferridge61mins: Gittens, Pedro, and James are being prepped to come on for Chelsea.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:14 , Arthur Ferridge58mins: Neto bears down on goal and sees his shot deflected behind for a corner.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:13 , Arthur Ferridge56mins: Clumsy defending from Chelsea lets Schick in behind, but Tosin gets in front of his shot.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:11 , Arthur Ferridge54mins: Clarification that Palmer, Chalobah, Cucurella, and Caicedo have come off for Chelsea.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:10 , Arthur Ferridge53mins: Estevao just oozes confidence.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:09 , Arthur Ferridge52mins: Delap goes down in the box, but the referee is uninterested in his appeals.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:06 , Arthur Ferridge49mins: Josh Achemapong hits a lovely cross-field ball to Andrey Santos. The Cobham graduate has really looked the part this evening.
Sam Tabuteau at Stamford Bridge
20:03 , Arthur FerridgeJorrel Hato comes on for his debut. Levi Colwill's injury means the spotlight will focus a little sharper on the young defender's performance here.
2ND HALF: Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
20:02 , Arthur FerridgeDarrio Essugo, Jorrel Hato, and Pedro Neto are on at halftime for Chelsea.
Sam Tabuteau at Stamford Bridge
19:51 , Arthur FerridgeHalf-time at Stamford Bridge, where Estevao has stolen the show. The teenager looks ready to take the Premier League by storm. The fact Cole Palmer is looking for the Brazilian at every opportunity is a testament to his talent.
HALF TIME: Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:46 , Arthur FerridgeThe first half comes to a close, and Estevao’s effort remains the only difference.
Sam Tabuteau at Stamford Bridge
19:45 , Arthur FerridgeEstevao is not shy of confidence. After switching to the left, he drifted a little from the game. However, back on the right he has rediscovered his early swagger and draws a save from Mark Flekken in the Leverkusen net.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:44 , Arthur Ferridge43mins: Estevao has another stinging shot saved by Flekken. The kid is unlucky not to have scored there.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:42 , Arthur Ferridge40mins: Estevao breaks away but is tackled by Hincapie. It looks a sore one, but he is ok to continue. Chelsea fans worldwide breathe a sigh of relief. Just 40 minutes into his Chelsea career and he already feels quite an important player.
Sam Tabuteau at Stamford Bridge
19:41 , Arthur FerridgeEnzo Maresca is becoming visibly frustrated with the refereeing so far. Caicedo wins the ball cleanly but is penalised for a foul on the edge of the box. The resulting free-kick calls Filip Jorgensen into action. That decision could have proved costly and Maresca knows it.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:40 , Arthur Ferridge39mins: Leverkusen string a nice move together, but Cucurella halts Tella with a smart tackle. Caicedo wins the ball back fairly, if physically, and the referee gives a foul against him. Leverkusen have a free kick about 25 yards from goal.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:36 , Arthur Ferridge36mins: Estevao finds space on the left flank, but doesn’t look confident in his weak foot to play a cross.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:34 , Arthur Ferridge34mins: Gusto wins the ball near halfway and looks to break, but the referee pulls it back for what looks to be a soft foul.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:30 , Arthur Ferridge30mins: Estevao flashes down the right flank and gets a shot away, but it is deflected. George comes on for the rebound and wins a corner.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:29 , Arthur Ferridge29mins: Gusto has gone down off the ball on the opposite flank. It looks serious, and the replay indicates he caught one in, shall we say, a sensitive area. He is fit to continue, but doesn’t look best pleased.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:28 , Arthur Ferridge27mins: Estevao takes the free kick and Chalobah comes onto it at full stretch. It is just beyond him, though.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:27 , Arthur Ferridge26mins: Palmer has a little pop at Quansah after the former Liverpool man caught him with a heavy-handed tackle. It was studs up, and Quansah is lucky to get off with a booking, frankly.
Sam Tabuteau at Stamford Bridge
19:26 , Arthur FerridgeThree yellow cards already. For a pre-season friendly there's a bit of needle here. It's making for a more exciting affair in all honesty.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:23 , Arthur Ferridge23mins: Santos is penalised for a physical challenge on Garcia.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:23 , Arthur Ferridge22mins: Chelsea are absolutely peppering Leverkusen. Gusto hits Estevao’s corner into the ground, and Flekken does very well to get across and bat it away.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:22 , Arthur Ferridge21mins: Another big chance for Delap, who taps George’s cross into the path of Flekken.
Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:21 , Arthur Ferridge20mins: Palmer lofts one up for Delap, but the pass is just barely beyond him.
Sam Tabuteau at Stamford Bridge
19:20 , Arthur FerridgeEstevao scores on debut. What a start to his Chelsea career. A delightful little lob from Palmer comes off the crossbar and Estevao is on hand to pick up the pieces.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:19 , Arthur Ferridge17mins: Estevao with a debut goal! Palmer’s shot comes off the crossbar and falls to the young Brazilian, who makes no mistake. What a start to his Chelsea career, 14 years after he signed on!
Chelsea 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:17 , Arthur Ferridge17mins: George left a bit in as he tackled Tella, and the Nigerian is down in some pain. On viewing the replay, there looks to have been very, very little contact.
Chelsea 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:16 , Arthur Ferridge16mins: Cracking sliding tackle from Tella halts George in his tracks.
Chelsea 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:16 , Arthur Ferridge15mins: Chelsea have been passing around the back for a good couple of minutes here. They can’t quite find a way out.
Chelsea 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:14 , Arthur Ferridge13mins: Santos and Estevao also look to be gelling remarkably well. The pair will have crossed paths in the Brazilian national side before linking up here. Elsewhere, Chalobah is booked for a tackle on Tella.
Chelsea 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:11 , Arthur Ferridge10mins: Estevao feeds Palmer in behind, and the Briton hands the ball back to the Brazilian, who wins a corner. Let’s hope this is a combination we get to see a lot of this year.
Malo Gusto shoots from the corner, and curls his effort over.
Chelsea 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:09 , Arthur Ferridge9mins: Delap heads the corner behind, and the visitors go again. Jorgensen collects at the second time of asking.
Chelsea 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:09 , Arthur Ferridge8mins: Tella wins a corner for Leverkusen.
Chelsea 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:08 , Arthur Ferridge7mins: A first booking of the afternoon as Andrich cleans out Andrey Santos. Takes some doing to be shown a yellow card so early in a friendly.
Sam Tabuteau at Stamford Bridge
19:06 , Arthur FerridgeEstevao is in the mood, every touch is direct and out of his feet. He sets up the first chance of the game with a driving run and cross for Marc Cucurella.
Chelsea 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:05 , Arthur Ferridge4mins: Estevao goes close to a debut assist! He breaks into the box and squares to Cucurella, but the Spaniard’s volley is blocked.
Chelsea 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:04 , Arthur Ferridge3mins: Estevao takes his first touches in Chelsea blue.
Chelsea 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:02 , Arthur Ferridge1min: Chelsea settle into some early possession but Cucurella is caught out in midfield. The home support are singing: ‘we’ve won it all’.
KICK OFF! Chelsea 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen
19:00 , Arthur FerridgeWe are underway at Stamford Bridge!
The Blues arrive with the Club World Cup trophy
18:53 , Arthur Ferridge
Enzo Maresca on Levi Colwill
18:43 , Arthur FerridgeEnzo Maresca has spoken out on Levi Colwill’s ACL injury, with the centre-back ruled out for much of the 2025-26 season.
He told Channel 5: "It changes our preparations completely because Levi last year was very important for us. He was a main player, [important] in the way we play."
Bayer Leverkusen team news
18:28 , Arthur FerridgeBayer Leverkusen starting XI: Flekken, Hincapie, Quansah, Andrich, Tapsoba, Schick, Grimlado, Adli, Tella, Garcia, Maza
Subs: Lomb, Rapsch, Tape, Alfa-Ruprecht, Sarco, Boniface, Kofane, Mensah, Traore, Buono, Pohl, Culbreath, Hawighorst
Sam Tabuteau at Stamford Bridge
18:25 , Arthur FerridgeNo Nicolas Jackson in the Chelsea squad, he is deemed surplus to requirements by Chelsea. This might be a pre-season friendly, but it feels like a statement by Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea debutants
18:15 , Arthur FerridgeEstevao will make his Chelsea debut from the off today, while Liam Delap will play in front of home support at Stamford Bridge for the first time.
On the bench are Jorrel Hato and Jamie Gittens.
Chelsea absentees
18:05 , Arthur FerridgeNicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku both miss out tonight amid reports they are exploring moves away from Chelsea.
Romeo Lavia and Levi Colwill are absent with injuries.
Sam Tabuteau at Stamford Bridge
17:58 , Arthur FerridgeIt hardly feels like Chelsea have had a rest, but they're back in action tonight as they take on Erik ten Hag's Bayer Leverkusen. A first Chelsea start for Estevao, the exciting young Brazilian winger. His presence in the starting lineup adds an extra layer of intrigue.
Yesterday at Stamford Bridge
17:52 , Arthur FerridgeChelsea were out at Stamford Bridge yesterday afternoon to present new signings and silverware to the fans.
Between the men’s Club World Cup and Conference League trophies, and the women’s domestic treble, there was plenty to get through.
Speaking from the pitch, Enzo Maresca said: “I think we showed this season how strong we are, but football is never enough, you are always trying to do more, to improve. This season is the same target: try to improve players and to improve the team.”
Confirmed Chelsea XI
17:46 , Arthur FerridgeJackson and Nkunku are both left out for Chelsea, but some debutants appear.
Chelsea starting XI: Jorgensen; Gusto, Acheampong, CHalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Andrey Santos; Estevao, Palmer, George; Delap
Subs: Sanchez, Slonina, James, Tosin, Anselmino, Hato, Antwi, Rak-Sakyi, Essugo, Fernandez, Pedro Neto, Gittens, Joao Pedro
Jackson to miss out?
17:42 , Arthur FerridgeThe Daily Mail report that Nicolas Jackson has been left out of tonight’s squad after asking to explore a move away from Chelsea.
He has drawn transfer interest from a variety of clubs, including Newcastle.
Leverkusen transfer dealings
17:32 , Arthur FerridgeThere has been plenty of transfer movement at Leverkusen this summer, with Erik Ten Hag’s side losing some key players.
Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong have both moved to Liverpool, with Odilon Kossonounou, Granit Xhaka, Gustavo Puerta, and Jonathan Tah all leaving too.
Among the new arrivals, though, are Jarrell Quansah, Malik Tillman, Ibrahim Maza, Mark Flekken, Christian Kofane, Abdoulaye Faye, Tim Oermann, Farid Alfa-Ruprecht, and Axel Tape.
According to Transfermarkt, they have spent just shy of £90m and brought in around £178.2m, a profit of £88.2m.
Broja leaves Chelsea
17:25 , Arthur FerridgeArmando Broja has completed a £20m transfer to Burnley.
He is the third Chelsea player to do so this summer.
Last time out
17:23 , Arthur FerridgeChelsea have only ever played Bayer Leverkusen twice, coming away with one win and one loss.
Those meetings came as the two sides shared a Champions League group in 2011, the home side winning in both fixtures.
Chelsea won 2-0 at the Bridge, with David Luiz and Juan Mata on the scoresheet.
It was a 2-1 loss in the reverse tie, though, with Didier Drogba’s strike early in the second half cancelled out by Eren Derdiyok and Manuel Friedrich.
Both sides made it out of the group, Chelsea sitting top with 11 points, and went on to claim a famous first Champions League title.
Who could debut for Chelsea today?
17:14 , Arthur FerridgeChelsea have been as busy as ever in the transfer window this summer, and three players could make their Blues bow today.
They are: Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato, and Estevao.
Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, and Dario Essugo all arrived earlier in the summer and participated at the Club World Cup.
Standard Sport prediction
17:05 , Arthur FerridgeThe momentum is with Chelsea after their Club World Cup win and vibes are high after the arrival of Hato, who will rival Marc Cucurella at left-back.
Leverkusen, meanwhile, have lost a lot of key players and are still adapting to ten Hag’s principles, particularly after such a regimented spell of 3-4-2-1 under Xabi Alonso.
Chelsea look even stronger with their summer additions, and should have too much for the former German champions here.
Chelsea to win, 3-1
Bayer Leverkusen early team news: Plenty of turnover
16:55 , Arthur FerridgeErik ten Hag is without injury worries for this match, but has shed plenty of squad weight this summer.
Big names such as Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Jonathan Tah, Odion Kossounou, and Granit Xhaka have all departed, but ten Hag has already put his stamp on the squad with the arrivals of Mark Flekken from Brentford, Jarell Quansah from Liverpool, and Malik Tillman from PSV Eindhoven.
Chelsea early team news: Debutants abound
16:45 , Arthur FerridgeThere could be three debutants in the Chelsea squad, with Gittens, Estevao, and Hato all ready to play their first minutes.
Other new signings Joao Pedro and Delap could also make their home debuts against the Bundesliga side.
Benoit Badiashile, Romeo Lavia, Dario Essugo and Enzo Fernandez were fitness concerns following the Club World Cup final victory over Paris Saint-Germain, but the quartet could all feature after a three-week hiatus.
Wesley Fofana has been joined on the sidelines by Levi Colwill who is has been ruled out for the majority of the season following knee surgery.
How to watch Chelsea vs Bayer Leverkusen
16:35 , Arthur FerridgeTV channel: The match will be shown on Channel 5, with coverage starting at 6.30pm BST ahead of a 7pm BST kick off.
Live stream: Viewers can also stream the game for free on DAZN.
Live blog: You can also follow all the action with Standard Sport’s live blog!
Good afternoon
16:28 , Arthur FerridgeHello, and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Chelsea vs Bayer Leverkusen!
Enzo Maresca has just 180 minutes of friendly action to get his squad back on song ahead of a new Premier League campaign. How will they fare on return to Stamford Bridge this evening?
Kick-off comes at 7pm. Follow along here for minute-by-minute updates, team news as soon as it drops, and insightful analysis from Sam Tabuteau at Stamford Bridge!
