Despite Estevao Willian’s brilliance, Chelsea teammate was star of the show in win vs Bayer Leverkusen

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Chelsea got their pre-season campaign underway in a very positive fashion, with their new signings making a real impact on their first showing for the club.

The Blues won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge against Bayer Leverkusen, and despite Joao Pedro’s late goal, the headlines were captured by Estevao Willian in his first appearance.

The 18-year-old scored in the first half, and was a constant threat all across the attacking line, popping up in a variety of positions.

Chelsea fans were left in awe of Estevao’s performance, however there were plenty more impressive displays from players in front of their home fans.

Andrey Santos star of the show for Chelsea despite Estevao Willian brilliance

One individual who started was Andrey Santos, partnering Moises Caicedo in midfield before Dario Essugo announced himself to Blues supporters with a dominant performance in the second half.

Despite clubs like Inter Milan registering interest in Santos throughout this summer, it has been clear that the Blues were planning to make the youngster an important player in the upcoming season.

His performance in midfield was a great way to prove that is going to be the case, with him excelling in two different roles against Leverkusen.

After Caicedo was replaced at half-time, Santos was pushed further forward to work off the striker, where he continued to dominate alongside Estevao in the more attacking role.

The Blues need to convince the former Strasbourg loanee that opportunities are going to be readily available for him this season, however Enzo Maresca has already started showing that through the Club World Cup that this will be the case.

Andrey Santos stats vs Bayer Leverkusen

Santos’ very tidy performance in possession is reflected in the statistics. He hardly misplaced a pass against the Bundesliga side.

With Romeo Lavia’s injury problems well-documented, there are certainly going to be opportunities for the youngster to make his mark at Stamford Bridge this season.

Likewise, chances to rest both Enzo Fernandez and Caicedo throughout the campaign are going to be a new luxury, with Santos more than good enough to replace them.

It is likely that he won’t start on Sunday against AC Milan after playing most of the first friendly, but his display will have put him firmly in his manager’s thinking ahead of the Premier League opener against Crystal Palace.