Under the management of Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea kicked off their new era with a 1-1 draw against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in a tough and competitive match at Stamford Bridge during the Premier League’s opening weekend.
Liverpool suffered an early setback before their visit to Stamford Bridge, as it seemed that Moises Caicedo chose Chelsea over them, despite Liverpool having agreed to a British record £111 million transfer with Brighton for the midfielder on Friday.
After the match, neither Jurgen Klopp nor Pochettino could offer any updates on the situation.
Chelsea displayed a notable transformation, exhibiting a level of intensity rarely witnessed at Stamford Bridge during the previous season, which saw three different managers.
The home team asserted control over possession and consistently kept Liverpool on the defensive for extended periods, despite the limited involvement of their new striker, Nicolas Jackson.
Jackson’s most promising opportunity arrived in the 71st minute when he broke through towards the goal, only to have his shot thwarted by Alisson Becker.
Conversely, Liverpool’s revamped midfield featuring summer signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai encountered difficulties in dictating the tempo of the game, underscoring the potential absence of the experienced Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, both of whom departed for the Saudi Pro League this summer.
Although Chelsea maintained a strong attacking presence, they were susceptible to counter-attacks. Prior to Liverpool’s taking the lead, Mohamed Salah had already struck the crossbar.
Salah initiated an attack and provided the pass to Diaz, who slid in to neatly place the ball past Chelsea’s new goalkeeper, Robert Sanchez.
A masterpiece of a move, finished off @LuisFDiaz19 🎨
That @MoSalah assist by the way 😍 pic.twitter.com/B7zkIpcVrn
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 13, 2023
Salah believed he had extended the lead with a precise finish in the 29th minute, but upon reviewing the replays, it became evident that he had been marginally offside during his run into the penalty area.
In response, Chelsea managed to equalize through an unexpected source. Following a corner, the ball was twice cleared by Liverpool, only to be sent back into the area by Ben Chilwell.
Axel Disasi found himself unmarked and capitalized, poking the ball past Alisson to level the score.
Chelsea then appeared to have taken the lead shortly after, but this time it was Chilwell who was narrowly offside when he was played through on goal.
During injury time, Liverpool’s substitute Darwin Nunez came close to securing a late victory with a long-range shot that deflected just narrowly wide, resulting in a corner kick.
This corner, however, led to a threatening counter-attack opportunity for Chelsea. Nonetheless, substitute Mykhailo Mudryk was unable to maintain control of the ball after bypassing Alisson.
It was another pulsating draw for both sides after failing to deliver a winner in the past four games between the two sides.
Liverpool will hope to be a better version of themselves and improve on their performances in their next league clash against Bournemouth at Anfield on the 19th of August.
