Pizarro was assigned the number 14, the same number he has in the Peruvian National Team, and his former number at Bayern Munich, succeeding Geremi at Chelsea. His debut was against Manchester United in the 2007 FA Community Shield, coming on as a substitute, but then missed the penalty shootout as Chelsea lost the match. Nevertheless, his season with Chelsea got off to a good start, scoring a goal on the opening weekend of the 2007–08 Premier League season against Birmingham City. After Chelsea's coach José Mourinho's departure and the signing of French striker Nicolas Anelka, Pizarro found himself surplus to the then new manager Avram Grant. Despite this, Pizarro did play an important role in Chelsea progressing to the fourth round of the 2008 FA Cup, by contributing to a rebound of QPR keeper Lee Camp that went into the net. He also scored the only goal in a match against Birmingham. This meant that his only two Premier League goals with Chelsea came in separate games against Birmingham City.