Chelsea 1-1 Villarreal (6-5 on pens) summary: score, goals, highlights, UEFA Super Cup 2021
Chelsea vs Villarreal: match report, as it happened
Chelsea add UEFA Super Cup to Champions League trophy
Substitute goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga made two shootout saves as Champions League winners Chelsea beat Spain's Villarreal 6-5 on penalties to add the UEFA Super Cup to their trophy collection on Wednesday. Extra time had ended 1-1 at Belfast's Windsor Park ground, with Chelsea replacing goalkeeper Edouard Mendy with Kepa in the final seconds in what turned out to be a master-stroke as penalties loomed.
The freshest player on a field of tired legs saved first from Aissa Mandi at 1-1 and then made the winning stop at 6-5 when Villarreal captain and 2010 World Cup winner Raul Albiol hit the ball to the bottom left. Mendy was one of the first to congratulate his team mate, with Chelsea lifting the trophy for a second time.
Hakim Ziyech had put Chelsea ahead in the 27th minute, sweeping in from 12 yards after a perfectly measured cross from Kai Havertz on the left. The Morocco international, an unused substitute when Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 in the Champions League final in Porto on May 29, then went off injured four minutes before the break. He returned with his arm in a sling to watch the rest of the match from the bench.
Villarreal, the Europa League holders with a noisy contingent of some 1,000 fans among the 13,000-strong crowd on a clear evening in Northern Ireland, hit the woodwork either side of halftime. Their equaliser came as no surprise, with Gerard Moreno -- who scored against Manchester United before the Europa League final in Gdansk went to penalties -- came to the rescue in the 73rd with a side-foot finish after a back-heel from Boulaye Dia. It was Moreno's eighth goal in his last nine European appearances for Villarreal. (Reuters)
An impressive competitive debut for Trevoh Chalobah, who joined Chelsea from Ligue 1 side Lorient in the summer. His numbers say it all. Surely he's put his hand up to start in Chelsea's Premier League opener against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Chelsea win the shootout and the Super Cup!
Villarreal captain Albiol goes right and Kepa saves. Chelsea have won the Super Cup. The shootout ends 6-5 to Chelsea after seven penalties taken. Mendy, who was taken off in favor of Kepa for the shootout, is the first to run over to congratulate the Spanish keeper.
Rudiger takes Chelsea's seventh spot kick. He smashes the ball into the left corner. 6-5 to Chelsea. Villarreal to respond.
Juan Foyth must score...and he does! 5-5.
Pulisic converts his penalty going right. 5-4 to Chelsea.
Dani Raba responds by knocking the ball into the right corner. 4-4 after five penalties taken each.
Jorginho with Chelsea's fifth penalty and he coolly slots down the middle. 4-3 to Chelsea.
Moi Gomez scores to the left. 3-3!
Mason Mount scores. 3-2!
Cool as you like from Estupina for Villarreal. Its 2-2 after three penalties each taken.
Alonso third up for Chelsea. He sends the keeper the wrong way and it´s 2-1 Chelsea. Villarreal to respond.
Kepa saves Mandi's strike and it's 1-1 after two penalties taken each.
Azpillicueta goes right and scores. 1-1 with Villarreal to respond.
Gerard Moreno first up for Villarreal. Moreno puts the ball in off the right post. 0-1 to Villarreal.
Havertz takes the first penalty and he's missed it. First blood to Villarreal.
Penalties begin!
Chelsea will take the first penalty.
Second half of extra time ends. Penalties it is!
That's 1-1 after extra time. Penalty shootout to come. Will Tuchel's decision to bring on Kepa for penalties pay off?
Mount sends in the free kick towards Alonso at the edge of the box, but Villarreal' defense win the ball as he tries to pass towards the center, clearing the danger away.
Goalkeeping switch for Chelsea as Mendy makes way for Kepa, who is the favored option for the shootout.
Five minutes to go here and neither side has offered anything by way of a chance in the last few minutes. It looks like penalties is happening.
Chelsea's new central defender has impressed in his competitive debut tonight. Will he step up for penalty if needed?
Mason Mount with the shot! Pau Torres with an unforced defensive error that opens up a chance for Mason Mount to strike from close distance. But Asenjo save again to keep Villarreal alive.
Second half of extra time starts!
The two teams have 15 minutes to find a winner and avoid penalties.
First half of extra time ends!
The ref blows his whistle right on 105', and the game remains 1-1 with penalties beckoning in Belfast.
Cross swept into the box by Jorginho towards Havertz, whose beaten to the ball by Villarreal keeper Asenjo.
What a chance for Pulisic to win the game!
Mount plays the chipped pass to Havertz inside the box. The German tees up the onrushing Pulisic with a neat touch but the US player blasts his shot wide of the far post from very close range and only the goalkeeper to beat. He really should have scored!
Alonso has a corner from the same spot, this time it's too close to goalkeeper Asenjo, who collects with ease.
Alonso with the in-swinging corner for Chelsea towards Kai Havertz, but Villarreal captain Albiol clears the danger.
Extra time starts!
Normal time ends. The game is going to extra-time!
The ref calls time as the game ends 1-1. Extra time and possibly penalties ahead.
Alonso shoots! The Spaniard takes down the ball, which was played nicely over the top from Rudiger, and then launches a shot from the left side of box into the near side netting.
Pulisic drifts across the edge of the box as he tries to find an angle for a shot. He eventually has a puck, but the ball is blocked.
Four minutes added for one of these teams to find a winner to avoid extra time.
Flag goes up against Pulisic moments after his close-range shot is saved by Asenjo. It wouldn't have counted anyway but the US international really have should the ball in the back of the net from that distance and one-on-one with the keeper.
Two more changes for Villarreal: Alberto Morenoand Dai go off. Morlanes and Raba come on, as the game edges towards extra time.
Alonso's corner is cleared, but only as far as Jorginho, who has chance to hit it first time at the edge of the box in plenty of space. He manages to hit it with his shin and the chance is wasted for Chelsea.
A firth change for Chelsea as veteran defender Azpilicueta comes on for Hudson-Odoi.
Great curling cross from Alonso into the box, where there are plenty of Blue bodies waiting. But Asenjo comes out bravely to punch the ball away.
GOAL VILLARREAL!
Gerard Moreno with the equalizer! Moreno plays the one-two combination with Dia, who plays a cheeky back heel pass inside the box to give the ball back to his teammate, who then drives the ball into the top corner from very close range. 1-1!
Two changes for Villarreal: Capoue and Trigueros make way for Gomez and Gaspar.
Villarreal sub Estupinan shoots from a tight angle on the left edge of the six-yard area. But Mendy saves again.
Three changes for Chelsea: Kante, Werner and Zouma go off. Mount, Christensen and Jorginho come on. Kante gets a standing ovation from the Chelsea fans after another impressive performance.
Gerard Moreno chips a pass towards Dai close to goal, but Chalobah does well to win the ball before Dai can get a head to it.
Villarreal make their first change as Ecuador's Estupinan comes on for Pedraza.
Gerard Moreno hits the post!
Mendy slips and makes a mess of his goal-kick clearence. Villarreal are quick to latch onto the ball, which is passed to Gerard Moreno, whose shot hits the far post. Very unlucky for the Villarreal striker as his side-footed attempt was almost inch-perfect.
Havertz shoots! The Champions League final hero tries to drive a ball towards the near post from distance, but he hits the side netting. Decent strike from the German, who draws gasps from the crowd.
Second half starts
Villarreal get the second half underway. Images of Hakim Ziyech making his way to the stands in a sling do not bode well for Chelsea, who lost the Moroccan to a shoulder injury in the 40th minute.
Chelsea's Kante and Kovacic have bossed the midfield and are proving the difference., as these stats from Squaka show. Kante came close to scoring early on with a long range shot that sailed just wide of the left post.
Thoughts will be with goalscorer Hakim Ziyech, who had to come off towards the end of that first half with a very nasty shoulder injury. Thomas Tuchel will await news of the severity of the injury.
First half ends!
The ref signals the end of the first half as Villarreal came so close to an equalizer just moments ago. Chelsea lead 1-0 at the break and deservedly so.
Alberto Moreno hits the crossbar!
A cross finds Alberto Moreno by the far post. He hits the first-time volley from six yards out, and strikes the crossbar.
Three minutes of added time to be played, can Villarreal snatch an equalizer before the break?
Yellow card for Rudiger for a rough challenge on Pino. The Villarreal players are incensed by that challenge and now they have a free kick right the edge of the right side of the box. Villarreal can do nothing with the opportunity, an awful delivery that does not make it passed the first defender.
A few minutes tick by before Ziyech is eventually helped off the pitch. His game is over. Pulisic comes on to replace him.
Ziyech is currently receiving treatment after he injured himself while challenging to defend a corner. He seems to have done damage to his shoulder and he is in quite some pain. A big concern for Tuchel.
Short cross comes in from the left and Alonso strikes first-time towards the bottom of the near post, but Asenjo gets down quickly to stop it.
Mendy saves! Dia spots a hole in the Chelsea defence and runs into it as he's fed the ball, he shoots from well inside the danger area but Mendy is out quickly to block down the shot.
GOAL CHELSEA!
Chelsea take the lead in Belfast! Havertz gets in behind the Villarreal defence on the left, latching onto Alonso's through ball. He plays a first-time low cross towards Ziyech, who takes one touch, to slot the ball home from 8 yards out. Beautiful piece of play from Chelsea, who have been the better side up to this point.
Ziyech floats a beautiful ball towards Chalobah at the far side of the box. He takes one touch and then volleys the ball way over. Poor effort from the new Chelsea defender, who has joined the Blues from French club Lorient.
Werner finds some space in behind the Villarreal defence on the left of the box, but captain Albiol recovers to snuff out the danger.
Alberto Moreno gives away on the at the edge of the box on the right for a late challenge on Hudson-Odoi. Ziyech takes the free kick, but it's headed away easily by Gerard Moreno.
A decent Villarreal attacking opportunity ends as Pino floats a cross towards no man's land. The Spanish side are finding their feet now.
Kante shoots! The Chelsea midfielder comes flying in to recover the ball on the blindside of the Villarreal defender before launching a shot from 30 yards out. "Uhhhh!" - the ball flies just shy of the left post.
Chance Werner! Decent save from Asenjo to keep out Werner's volley attempt from the Ziyech corner. Chelsea building a bit of pressure.
Gerard Moreno goes in hard on Alonso, who falls to the floor in some pain. He's up quick enough as Chelsea play the free kick in the middle third.
Chelsea give the ball away in the middle third, allowing Dia and Moreno to break. The pair link up well to get quickly forward but eventually Chelsea recover the ball before Dia can get a shot off by the edge of the box.
Game starts!
Peep! Chelsea get the game underway in Belfast, playing in blue. Villarreal are in yellow.
The teams are making their way onto the pitch, with Kante holding the UCL trophy, while Albiol clutches the EL trophy. It's an almost full house at Windsor and the fans will certainly add to the atmosphere tonight. Great to see them back!
Here's a head-to-head stats comparison of Chelsea and Villarreal's respective European campaigns last season, courtesy of our pals at SofaScore.
Villarreal looking for third win against Premier League opposition
Having beaten Arsenal in the Europa League semi-final and Manchester United in the final, can Villarreal make it three from three against Premier League opposition tonight?
Former Chelsea defender-turned-pundit Joe Cole was full of praise for Thomas Tuchel on BT Sport in the UK ahead of the game...
Some footage of Chelsea arriving at Windsor park a little earlier. They are currently warming up at the Belfast stadium with 30 minutes to go until kick off at 3pm ET.
Gerard Moreno renews at Villarreal
Villarreal's goalscoring hopes will rest on talisman Gerard Moreno, who recently renewed his contract at the club until 2027. Moreno scored 30 goals in 46 appearances last season, seven of which came in the Villarreal's undefeated Europa League campaign.
Having scored the goal to secure the Champions League title, Kai Havertz will hope to be on the scoresheet again tonight as Chelsea look to add some early-season silverware...
"Vamos Submarino, vamos campeón".... The Villarreal fans are making themselves heard in Belfast's Windsor Park...
UEFA Super Cup Final: Chelsea vs Villarreal game preview
Check out our preview video ahead of the game. You can do so here.
Villarreal team sheet is in
Villarreal's starting XI to face Chelsea at Windsor Park:
Asenjo, Foyth, Albiol, Torres, Alfonso Pedraza, Moreno, Capoue, Trigueros, Pino, Moreno, Dia
Chelsea's starters confirmed
Chelsea have named their starting XI to face Villarreal:
Mendy, Rudiger, Chalobah, Zouma, Alonso, Kovacic, Kante, Hudson-Odoi, Havertz, Werner, Ziyech
Chelsea vs Villarreal: How they got here
Well it's fair to say that at the start of least season, not many would have bet on these two playing out this year's Super Cup final but here we are.
In their respective Champions League and Europa League finals, both teams defeated favored Manchester-based opposition to secure European glory. Kai Havertz' lone goal was enough to see Chelsea past Manchester City in the Champions League final, while Villarreal overcame Manchester United in the Europa League final after one of the craziest penalty shootouts in European final history, which ended 11-10 after United keeper David de Gea missed his side's final spot kick.
Welcome
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the UEFA Super Cup final between Chelsea and Villarreal, which is being played at Belfast's Windsor Park in Northern Ireland.
The game gets underway in under an hour (at 3pm ET), in the meantime you can follow the build-up with us here before we bring you live minute-by-minute coverage. It's the curtain raiser for the European club football season, let's home we're in for a treat!