Chelsea and Liverpool play to a spirited draw, to start off their wild seasons – 5 talking points.

CHELSEA 1-1 LIVERPOOL: Axel Dsasi, making his debut for Chelsea, equalized Luis Diaz’s opening goal for an attacking Liverpool team.

In an open match at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea and Liverpool provided a game that did little to dispel rumors that their seasons might be in for a wild ride.

The Reds dominated the opening exchanges, and after Mo Salah’s curling effort from the edge of the box had hit the crossbar, Luis Diaz converted the Egyptian’s excellent cross across the box.

Axel Disasi scored on his debut by slipping in behind a sluggish defense after Chelsea improved. Liverpool could have had more goals, and Salah had a goal disallowed by VAR, but their weakness in the middle of the field was exposed as Chelsea improved.

In the second half, both teams had their opportunities, and Liverpool had a strong claim for a penalty after Nicolas Jackson was handballed.

The game ended in a draw after 90 minutes for the seventh time in a row in this matchup despite attempts from Liverpool substitute Darwin Nunez and Chelsea substitute Mykhaylo Mudryk going narrowly wide.

Key talking points are listed below.

1. Reds go on the attack.

When there aren’t enough midfielders on the field, you play more attackers.

It may have surprised some people that Liverpool started with this lineup, but if you watched enough of their preseason – and enough of their lack of transfer activity, although you can’t miss that – then it always seemed pretty likely that they would choose Cody Gakpo in an advanced midfield position behind a more traditional front three, with the other two midfielders hardly being shrinking violets when it comes to attacking either.

When everything comes together, it makes for incredibly entertaining entertainment that is also, given the Reds’ attacking in the early exchanges, effective entertainment. They were able to dominate a nervous-looking Chelsea team thanks to their setup, and for the first 30 minutes, it appeared as though only one team was scoring.

2. The sharpness and spikiness of Salah

No matter how many midfielders or attackers you have on the field, if one of them is Salah, eventually things will go south for the opposition.

While positioned on the right, the Egyptian was at the center of all the mayhem the Reds created in the first period. Had his shot that hit the crossbar a little lower, his one that was cleared off the line a little differently, and if he hadn’t been caught offside by VAR, he might have scored a hat-trick.

He threaded a beautiful ball across the box for Diaz to charge in and finish for his one first-half goal, demonstrating once more why he will be a force to be reckoned with this season. Judging by his reaction to being substituted late, he will want to be on the field more often than not this year.

He first raised his arms in apparent rage when he saw the No. The fume was then made worse when each throw of the tape he peeled off his wrists was greeted with joy by jubilant Chelsea fans, who still haven’t forgotten his past here. 11 went up on the substitutes’ board.

Salah may need to explain that to Jurgen Klopp, but it was obvious that he had lost some of his impact in the second half.

3. Chelsea flips the script.

But when you play like Liverpool does, you constantly leave yourself vulnerable to the opposition taking advantage of your frailty and turning you around, just as Chelsea did shortly after the Salah goal that was disallowed.

In the first 30 minutes of the game, it had been the Blues who were too simple to play through, but suddenly, it was Liverpool as Dominik Szoboszlai’s influence waned and an overexcited Alexis Mac Allister was surrounded.

Liverpool was unable to keep possession of the ball for a long enough period of time as Chelsea gained momentum and an equalizer suddenly seemed inevitable. When it did, Disasi sneaked in amid careless defending, it was just compensation for the hosts sensing where they could exert authority, and Liverpool bowed out under the pressure.

4. Pochettino presses his style onto Chelsea

Pochettino, who initially cut a somewhat disgruntled figure for much of the first half until his side’s drastic improvement, was the mastermind behind all of this.

The new manager appeared at ease in his surroundings and appears to have completely won over any supporters who were skeptical of his appointment given his Tottenham past.
He wore all black, as we frequently used to see in his Tottenham days, and displayed that familiar approach full of enthusiasm for his players, when they deserved it.

The 2023–2024 Liverpool season’s home jersey honors Bill Shankly and the legendary Reds manager’s final year in charge at Anfield. The Nike shirt has a vivid red design that contrasts sharply with white at the color and cuffs.

When Conor Gallagher sprinted back to stop a Salah attack in the second half, the Argentinean reserved his loudest applause for the Irishman. Given his perseverance, you could definitely see the former England midfielder turning into a favorite of his manager amid all the talk of incomings and outgoings.

That came from Chelsea a lot, which is more than you can say for the previous campaign.

5. The obvious query.

The truth is that both of these two teams could benefit from a central midfielder worth £110 million.

Enzo Fernandez, who Chelsea already has and who pretty much already cost them that, battled away against a Liverpool team that used Mac Allister in that position as you would expect him to, but they will get much more out of him if they play him higher up.

You feel as though they are both like a puzzle with pieces missing until they both sign a player or players who play that position, whoever they may be.