Today, August 13, at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea and Liverpool fought to an exciting 1-1 tie in the first game of the season.
When Luis Diaz slid in Mo Salah’s beautiful pass in the 18th minute, the Merseysiders had the better start and deservedly lead.
The Blues equalized on minute 37 when £38.5 million summer acquisition from Monaco, Axel Disasi, poked in Ben Chilwell’s knock-on after the Egyptian had a goal disallowed for offside by VAR.
Two minutes later, Chilwell came close to capping off a strong first-half comeback, but he too had a goal disallowed by VAR for offside after round Alisson and finding the back of the net.
Chilwell and Nicolas Jackson, another debutant for Chelsea, were frequently denied by Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker as Chelsea controlled the second half.
Both teams had a shot at goal in stoppage time of the second half, when Darwin Nunez of Liverpool and Mykhailo Mudryk of Chelsea both came close to scoring.
Liverpool didn’t have a defensive midfielder in their starting lineup, and their performance demonstrated why they are so eager to sign players like Caicedo or Romeo Lavia. John Henry, the club’s owner, was in the stands at Stamford Bridge when the players struggled to contain the visitors when they quickly responded, and he will depart knowing where they need to improve.
Chelsea’s midfield problems were less obvious since Enzo Fernandez and Conor Gallagher consistently outperformed their opponents. Instead, the same offensive problems that dogged last season seem to be their biggest worry as the hosts failed to take advantage of some superb second-half opportunities.
While Jurgen Klopp will still need to work out the kinks in a system that frequently makes them seem weak at the back, Mauricio Pochettino is exiting the game pleased with his team’s performance.
