Chelsea vs Zenit LIVE: Champions League result, final score and reaction tonight

Relive all the action as the Blues began the defence of their European crown

Tuchel on Chelsea Champions League defence

Romelu Lukaku’s pinpoint header rescued Chelsea’s first match as Champions League holders in a 1-0 win over Zenit St Petersburg.

Belgium hitman Lukaku bagged his third goal in two games and his fourth for Chelsea since his £98million switch from Inter Milan.

The 28-year-old converted captain Cesar Azpilicueta’s hanging far-post cross with a header of stunning accuracy, and that after shrugging aside three touch-tight Zenit defenders.

Chelsea laboured past a resolute and regimented Zenit, for much of the match running the risk of limping to a dispiriting draw.

But then Lukaku rose up, highest of all, to nod home and turn the night entirely. Relive all the action below:

Chelsea vs Zenit

• Lukaku heads Chelsea into lead
• Chelsea XI: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Ziyech, Lukaku, Mount
• Zenit XI: Kritsyuk; Sutormin, Chistiakos, Rakits’kyy, Santos; Malcom, Wendel, Barrios, Kuzyaev, Claudinho; Azmoun

[14 September 2021 18:00 · Michael Jones]

GOAL! Young Boys 0 - 1 Man Utd (Ronaldo, 13’)⚽️

13 mins: That didn’t take long. Manchester United’s Portuguese stars link up to give the visitors the opening goal. Fernandes drives it down the left wing and then sends an outrageous cross into the box with the outside of his right foot. He picks out Cristiano Ronaldo perfectly and Ronaldo hits the ball on the half-volley, nutmegs the goalkeeper and gets the ball across the line.

[14 September 2021 17:59 · Michael Jones]

Young Boys 0 - 0 Man Utd

12 mins: Close! Young Boys almost create something with a simple long ball up to Elia. He brings the ball under control and takes on Lindelof on the left side of the box. Elia shifts the ball away from the centre-back and crosses it into the six-yard box but his teammates can’t get near the ball.

[14 September 2021 17:57 · Michael Jones]

Young Boys 0 - 0 Man Utd

9 mins: Almost. Luke Shaw brings the ball down the left side and flicks an aerial pass into the box. Fernandes makes a run in between the Young Boys centre-backs but awkwardly brings down the ball. His touch closes off the opportunity to shoot but he manages to dink the ball to Sancho only for Garcia to stick out a leg and toe the ball away from the winger.

[14 September 2021 17:54 · Michael Jones]

Young Boys 0 - 0 Man Utd

6 mins: Nice work from Lindelof to read the play as Vincent Sierro slips a through ball up the pitch looking for Elia. Lindelof nips in front of the striker, intercepts the ball and sends it out to Wan Bissaka on the right side.

[14 September 2021 17:50 · Michael Jones]

Young Boys 0 - 0 Man Utd

3 mins: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has set Manchester United up with Pogba out on the left side with Donny van de Beek partnering Fred in central midfield.

Jadon Sancho loses the ball and Meschack Elia jumps onto it quickly. He rolls away from Fred and drives towards the box. Victor Lindelof comes across to block as Elia shoots. The effort goes through the legs of the defender and wide of the far post.

[14 September 2021 17:46 · Michael Jones]

Young Boys 0 - 0 Man Utd

Kick off: Bruno Fernandes gets the match underway with a pass back to Victor Lindelof who boots the ball over to the left wing where Paul Pogba can’t get to the ball before it goes out for a throw in.

[14 September 2021 17:43 · Michael Jones]

Here come the teams

The pitch at the Wankdorf Stadium is artificial so could pose a few tricky problems for Manchester United especially early on as they get used to the surface.

Harry Maguire leads out the Red Devils with Cristiano Ronaldo once again bringing up the rear. The2021 Champions League gets underway next...

[14 September 2021 17:41 · Michael Jones]

Solskjaer on Van de Beek

Donny van de Beek has had to wait a long time for minutes since signing for Manchester United in the summer of 2020. He starts tonight with Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saying:

We know what he is capable of doing. He has been working very, very hard over the summer and he is stronger and fitter, and I’m looking forward to seeing him.”

[14 September 2021 17:35 · Michael Jones]

Fred and Wan Bissaka talk Champions League

Man Utd players Aaron Wan Bissaka and Fred are both hoping for a decent Champions League campaign this season after they were knocked out at the group stage last year.

“We want to do better than last season, bounce back and learn from the mistakes that we made,” said Wan Bissaka. “In this competition, you want to show what you’re capable of doing as a team, in front of the whole world. It’s very competitive and we need to be in there and stay in there. Our aim is to win it, that would be a big achievement for us all.”

“[Last season] We tried to qualify and if we had won one more game, we would have done it,” added Fred. “I think now we have a different mentality, we have changed our mentality. Every game is the key for us so we need to try to win every game. “Every game is important but the first game is the most important because if you win the first game, it’s good for the feeling at the start of a big season in the Champions League. So we’ll try our best to win the first game.”

[14 September 2021 17:31 · Michael Jones]

Quick starters

Manchester United have lost their first match in just one of their last 21 Champions League campaigns, with 13 wins and seven draws. That loss came in 2015-16 as Louis van Gaal’s men went down 2-1 to PSV.

The Red Devils have lost six of their 10 Champions League matches under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, that is as many as they lost in 20 games in the competition under Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho combined, 10 wins, four draws, six defeats.