Levi Colwill completed 90 minutes for Chelsea in their 1-1 draw with Liverpool on Saturday afternoon with the Blues defender showing the club exactly what they have been missing this season
‘Fits like an old pair of jeans’, as the infamous addage goes. Like an old pair of Levi’s, one could say, Levi Colwill was tailor-made for this Chelsea defence.
After 295 days of not playing football, the 23-year-old defender made his long-awaited return on Monday in the 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest. In extremely complicated circumstances, Colwill was able to show, albeit briefly, what Chelsea have been missing this season.
Five days later, Colwill started his first game in almost a year and completed the full 90 minutes – helping the Blues avoid extending their losing run to seven in the Premier League.
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While the 2025/26 Liverpool attack is a shadow of what Arne Slot’s side were offering in 2024/25, not helped by a couple of key players missing, Colwill was on hand – virtually every time Chelsea needed him – to minimise the threat on his goal at Anfield.
Calum McFarlane was delighted he got the opportunity to talk about the defender’s performance. “I’m glad you asked,” said McFarlane when a reporter quizzed the Chelsea interim head coach on Colwill. “I thought he was exceptional today.
“I thought there was a lot of good performances. I’m really pleased for Levi. He’s been injured for a long time. The first 90 minutes, Anfield away, when the team aren’t particularly in their best form, to go and put that level of performance in, it doesn’t only show his level of talent and quality, it shows his mentality.
“So, I’m really pleased for Levi, as I am for the whole group and the team. I thought it was a really good performance.”
You can’t help feel, if Colwill had returned three or four weeks ago, he would be in with a serious shout of being included in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for this summer’s World Cup. You also can’t help feel – and unfortunately it is impossible to measure – that if Colwill had been fit this season, Chelsea would have secured Champions League football already. It will remain a mystery unfortunately.
Not only is the Cobham graduate the club’s best centre-back, he is also a leader figure the squad have so desperately craved in recent weeks. It was telling that in the 1-1 draw to Liverpool on Saturday, the three players you could consistently hear were Colwill, Virgil van Dijk and Reece James (when he came on).
From the press box, you could hear James shout at goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, who was about to play the ball short for one of his central defenders, to “go long”. Not only were Liverpool on top at the time, shooting towards the Kop, but Jorgensen of course made that blunder in the defeat to Paris Saint-Germain a couple of months ago when trying to mess around with the ball at the back.
James’ shout, fortunately, was listened to.
In more good fortune, Colwill came out of an unexpected 90 minutes unscathed – and the defender now has an excellent chance of starting at Wembley Stadium in next weekend’s FA Cup final.
“Everyone keeps telling me I’ve grown,” Colwill said. “I feel stronger, mentally stronger – all that hard work has helped me. I’m a better player and person for going through that, and I think you could see that on the pitch today. I feel more mature, and I’m just trying to help everyone as much as I can.
‘It was amazing being out there. Before the game, I had no nerves. I was just excited walking onto the pitch. With all the hard work I’ve put in, I was just happy to be outside.’
Given the nature of his injury, to have completed 135(ish)/180 minutes in his first two matches back is seriously impressive. Sources said, prior to Colwill returning, the Cobham graduate would be eased back into competitive action. That has not been the case whatsoever. Colwill has instead been chucked into the deep end, trailing 2-0 at half time, against Nottingham Forest, and then at the heart of defence at Anfield. Next up in Chelsea’s series of deep-end challenges: the FA Cup final.
“Definitely,” replied McFarlane when asked if Colwill has a good chance of starting next weekend’s season-defining clash at Wembley. He’s only played two games since being back, yet it’s hard to imagine how this Chelsea defence copes without him. It’s a good thing the Chelsea defender can swim in such waters.
