Chelsea 2-0 Leverkusen: Erik ten Hag’s team sunk by Brazilians for one last time in preseason

Bayer Leverkusen lost 2-0 in their final preseason game away at Chelsea.

Bayer Leverkusen closed their preseason the way they started, after a largely underwhelming performance at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea could’ve gone multiple goals ahead in the first-half, but Estêvão’s debut strike was the difference between the sides.

Robert Andrich saw a yellow card as early as the seventh minute before Jarell Quansah joined the captain in the referee’s notebook. Leverkusen’s only chance of the half was when Filip Jörgensen palmed away Alejandro Grimaldo’s free-kick.

The hosts, who are playing their first preseason game due to their involvement in the Club World Cup, made three half-time substitutions. Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag brought the 17-year-old Jeremiah Mensah in place of Aleix García in Leverkusen’s only change for the second-half.

New signings Axel Tape (17) and Christian Kofane (19) were introduced at the hour mark before Patrik Schick’s uneventful night came to an end twenty minutes before the end. Victor Boniface came on to partner Kofane up front, but the majority of the action was still in Leverkusen’s half.

Jamie Gittens, who joined Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund in the middle of the Club World Cup, made his debut at the home of his new club on his birthday. Mark Flekken was Leverkusen’s “Man of the Match” in what was a pretty dull performance from the Bundesliga outfit. Chelsea scored their second in the game’s last action through another new Brazilian attacker, Joao Pedro.

Leverkusen’s season will officially start next week when they face fourth-tier SG Sonnenhof Großaspach in the first round of the DFB-Pokal. They host Hoffenheim in the opening weekend of the Bundesliga season.