Chelsea and Liverpool draw for the 5th straight match
At their home stadium Stamford Bridge, Chelsea drew 1-1 with Liverpool in the opening round of the Premier League. Both goals were scored in the first half, with Liverpool opening the scoring before Chelsea equalized.
The two teams offered an attractive, intense match for the fans. VAR denied two goals in this game, with each team having a disallowed goal after consultation by the referee.
After kickoff, Chelsea pushed forward but Pochettino’s side could not overwhelm Liverpool. On the contrary, the visitors’ quick counterattacks caused problems for the home defense several times.
In the 12th minute, from a Liverpool counter, Salah had a chance to shoot with his right foot at the top of the box. The Egyptian’s uncontrolled kick hit the crossbar and bounced out.
However, Kop fans did not have to rue the miss for long. In the 18th minute, Salah dribbled down the right flank and made an exquisite pass to eliminate Chelsea’s defense, allowing Diaz to sprint forward and finish at the top of the box to open the scoring.
Conceding motivated Chelsea to increase their attacks, meaning their formation pushed higher up. In the 29th minute, Salah broke free to receive the ball and beat keeper Sanchez, but VAR found him offside so the goal was disallowed.
Chelsea’s pressure paid off in the 37th minute when Disasi charged forward to strike from 5 meters and equalize 1-1. Liverpool’s defense made a mistake, leaving the home defender unmarked.
While Liverpool were still dazed after conceding, Chelsea intensified their attack and the visitors’ net shook again soon after. In the 39th minute, Chiwell broke free to receive the ball and hammered it past Liverpool’s goal, but again VAR confirmed an offside so the goal did not stand.
In the final minutes of the first half, Liverpool defended stubbornly and prevented further concessions. In the second half, Chelsea’s attacking threat was reduced despite dominating possession nearly twice as much as Liverpool.
Chelsea’s personnel changes did not improve their attacking prowess, in fact, they only managed 3 shots in the second half compared to 7 in the first. Liverpool had a similar number of shots in the first half, but could not hit the target once after the break. With no additional goals, both teams settled for a point in their Premier League opener.
According to The Guardian, manager Mauricio Pochettino would be happier with the draw given Liverpool were favorites. Chelsea will aim for their first win under Pochettino against West Ham in London next week. Liverpool host Bournemouth at Anfield a day earlier.
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