Torres on target for Chelsea

Posted Sunday, July 31, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

HONG KONG (AFP) - Record signing Fernando Torres scored his second goal for Chelsea straight after coming on as a second-half substitute on Saturday as his side beat Aston Villa to win the Barclays Asia Trophy.

It was a game of fast starts for Andre Villas-Boas' men, with teenager Josh McEachran scoring in the first minute of a 2-0 victory on a steamy night in Hong Kong.

The victory means Chelsea end their Asian tour under their new manager with four wins from four and 11 goals scored to none conceded.

The stadium announcer was still reporting that Torres had come on the pitch in the 57th minute when Florent Malouda slipped as he took a long-range shot, allowing the Spaniard to race onto the ball and deftly redirect it past Shay Given.

Torres has been under pressure to justify the £50 million ($82 million) fee Chelsea paid for him and gave a thumbs up to Villas-Boas and smiled as he was mobbed by teammates, but the manager downplayed the moment.

"This has a meaning only regarding the team performance and the collective performance," Villas-Boas said.

"When you find the back of the net you gain more confidence. But in the end it?s not important who scores."

The capacity crowd in the 40,000-seater Hong Kong Stadium were still settling in their seats when 18-year-old McEachran thumped a rebound into the roof of the net after beating Given to the ball when the Irish stopper only managed to parry a Malouda drive.

Villas-Boas is looking to rejuvenate his ageing squad and has suggested McEachran could be one of a couple of youth prospects who could jump straight into the first team.

The youngster started three of four matches in Asia, on a trip that saw Chelsea build on a disappointing 1-0 victory in Malaysia with successive 4-0 victories over a Thai select team and Hong Kong champions Kitchee.

Together with preseason victories against Portsmouth and Wycombe in England, Chelsea have won all six games so far under 33-year-old Villas-Boas and have yet to surrender a goal.

"Our defensive work is an offensive weapon and that?s what we have been telling the players," Villas-Boas said.

"We want the ball more in our possession and we want to attack more."

Villas-Boas paired Anelka with Daniel Sturridge and Malouda, leaving Didier Drogba and Torres on the bench until mid-way through the second half.

The Torres substitution paid immediate dividends, as the striker seeks to rediscover a scoring touch that has deserted him since his big money move from Liverpool.

New Villa manager Alex McLeish said he was impressed with Chelsea's performance.

"You see the quality of players they brought on with Drogba and Torres, and it can be quite frightening if you're not up to the challenge," McLeish said.

Given, McLeish's first signing since his controversial move across town from Birmingham City, redeemed himself for the shock start by punching away a free kick from Frank Lampard and cradling a dangerous shot from Anelka.

Ireland's most capped international was crucial in keeping the score down in the second half, parrying away a Yury Zhirkov shot and a point-blank header from Lampard.

"It's no surprise to see him pulling off saves like that, as long as he doesn't have to do that week in week out of the Premier league campaign," McLeish said.

Blackburn coasted to a 3-0 victory over Hong Kong champions Kitchee in the early game on Saturday, giving them third place in the preseason tournament, which the Premier League holds in a different Asian city every two years.