AVB hails Luiz but won't say if Torres starts at United

Stamford Bridge cult hero David Luiz kick-started Chelsea's Champions League campaign last night.

Brazilian defender Luiz curled home the goal that broke Leverkusen's resistance and gave Andre Villas-Boas a winning start on the road to Munich.

Luiz' strike was set up by Fernando Torres, who then laid on Juan Mata's killer second in stoppage time.

And as Villas-Boas said the problem caused by Torres's criticisms of Chelsea's playing style had been "solved" he credited Luiz for his adventurous spirit.

Villas-Boas said: "It's not the first time this season that you've seen our centre-halves breaking through, driving with the ball.

"It's something we're proud of: all four of them have that natural technical ability. That led to a superiority in the channel that got us the goal.

"I'm happy. It means the idea that were putting over in training and taking hold. These players have the technical talent to take it out on the pitch."

Asked if he would have preferred Torres - who has now scored once in 23 appearances - to have shot rather than passed to Mata, Villas-Boas insisted: "I wasn't worried.

"There was a player in front of goal and he took the right decision. When he arrived in that situation, with the player in front of goal, he took a wise decision."

Villas-Boas, who rested John Terry and Frank Lampard ahead of the weekend trip to Manchester United, revealed that Didier Drogba is "unlikely" to be fit to play at Okld Trafford.

Quizzed over whether that meant he would keep faith with Torres, he added: "I have to make a decision. We have another couple of days to train, and he will compete with the other four for that position. We have to take the best decision possible."

But after confirming Chelsea had launched an investigation into Torres' critique of the "older players, who play very slow", Villas-Boas said he had brought the matter to a close.

He said: "The problem is solved. The problem is solved.

"The investigation is over. We had a chat and the situation is solved. You saw the player involved and he put in a good collective performance, like the team had. Hopefully these things won't arise in the group again. If they do, it'll be the manager who has to resolve it."