VIDEO HIGHLIGHT and Liverpool player ratings as Liverpool held Chelsea to a draw away
Player ratings from Ian Doyle after Liverpool’s 1-1 draw away to Chelsea in the Premier League
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Alisson Becker 8
A few decent takes and no chance with Chelsea equaliser. Nice saves from Chilwell and Jackson second half.
Trent Alexander-Arnold 7
Imposed himself into central midfield regularly, used ball well and switched on defensively. Decent outing. Booked.
Clever footwork in front of away fans drew loud cheers and good block to deny Fernandez. Best of Liverpool defenders.
Virgil van Dijk 7
Perperly used positioning to ensure he wasn’t exposed by pace of Jackson before break. Unashamedly no-nonsense with some of his clearances, and aerially dominant.
Andy Robertson 6
Few opportunities to press forward first half as hands full dealing with Sterling, but more purpose going forward immediately after break.
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Alexis Mac Allister 6
Looked a little unsettled at times first half in the defensive midfield role and lost ball too often but sent Salah away to create the opener. Booked.
Dominik Szoboszlai 7
Impressed with one thrusting run into the area early on and not scared to harass Chelsea players. Second half a bit more of a slog, however.
Cody Gakpo 6
Display of tough play going on the left of the midfield three with much of his work defensive.
Mohamed Salah 8
He Struck the bar from edge of area, brilliant cross set up Diaz opener, had goalbound shot blocked and goal disallowed inside opening half-hour. Required more service after break, though, and less impressed at being subbed.
Diogo Jota 6
Sent two early efforts off target but quiet first half until painfully running into Colwill. Not much change after break. Subbed.
Luis Diaz 6
Very quick to get on the end of Salah cross for the opener. Not much involvement as would have liked overall, though. Subbed.
Curtis Jones (for Gakpo 66) 6
Sought to bring a bit more composure performance to midfield.
Darwin Nunez (for Jota 66) 6
Only limited openings for chaos with Chelsea on the offensive.
Ben Doak (for Salah 77) 6
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COURTNEY; Mon TV
More minutes for the exciting teenager.
Harvey Elliott (for Diaz 77) 7
Added more energy to the late play. Good cameo.
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Chelsea vs Liverpool: All you hope to know about the clash
The Premier League is back and club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul are ready and waiting…
As Chelsea legend Ray Wilkins used to say, freshly mown grass is the most beautiful scent in the world, as it heralds the return of football season. And what a blockbuster start the Premier League has prepared for new Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino with a visit from Liverpool.
Both teams are in turmoil looking for a rebound after a disappointing 2022/23 season and goals can certainly be expected from both sides. Surprisingly, the last six meetings between these heavyweight rivals have been draws in all competitions, and the last four have ended without either team having a problem with the results list.
Still, Poch is aiming to become the first manager to open the account with a win over Liverpool since Leicester’s Craig Shakespeare in February 2017. Both the Argentine and Chelsea have impressive records in the first weekend of the season. Pochettino has won five of his last seven starts in the country, while Chelsea have won 20 and drawn six of their opening 31 Premier League games so far.
Chelsea have 66 points from their last 31 Matchday 1 games, their best tally in the Premier League.
Team news
Pochettino has already left his mark on Chelsea and the surge of energy, intention and imagination could delight the eye in the months to come. The pre-season has seen the development of more partnerships, more corps entering the opposing box, more organized pressing and tactics designed for players who make the difference.
He has used his five-match unbeaten pre-season run to evaluate and refine the squad he will take on in his first season with Chelsea. Among the players who accumulated the most minutes were Conor Gallagher (sometimes used in a high pressing role), goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, forward Christopher Nkunku and Ian Maatsen (used again in an advanced role to great effect) .
Unfortunately Nkunku, top scorer of the summer with three goals and a key figure in Pochettino’s dynamic style, will have to be absent for a few months due to a knee problem.
Summer assistant chief (with three) Nico Jackson, a striker with a Swiss Army knife, looks sure to take the lead against Liverpool, and it could be a busy Sunday for Mykhailo Mudryk. Avoid the early pressure from the Reds and they can be opened up at the back and flanks – lightning-fast Ukrainian dominance – as Bayern repeatedly demonstrated in a recent friendly. Raheem Sterling could play on the right wing against his former club.
Brazilian youngster Andrey Santos has made a strong impression, but he may have to wait until his debut, with Enzo and Gallagher in midfield against tough opponents. Poch also endorsed the No. 1 can opener movement. 10 by Carney Chukwuemeka on the edge of the box.
In defence, Malo Gusto looks an able rival to skipper Reece James at right-back, Levi Colwill is likely to use Thiago Silva as a partner in central defence, and left-back Ben Chilwell looks close enough to his athletic best to hold off Marco Cucurella. . Benoit Badiashile and Wes Fofana are out and outstanding defensive signing Axel Disasi might have more time to settle in.
Opponent scouting – Liverpool
Pre-season can produce misleading omens, but Liverpool’s high-scoring warm-up games this summer were reminiscent of the last game of the 2022/23 season, when they drew 4-4 with relegated Southampton.
The 3-4 loss to Bayern illustrated the much-discussed strength in attack and weakness in defence, especially in the wide areas. Klopp blamed fatigue for a lack of focus and poor decision-making, but enjoyed some encouraging moments as his plans came to fruition. That’s all changed in the Liverpool midfield, with established names like Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and James Milner out (and Thiago Alcantara injured). Of these, the Brazilian, more reliable defensive stopper than Klopp and guaranteed starter, is probably the least convenient substitute. Curtis Jones looked ready for that role in the preseason.
The friendlies also saw the debut of key signings Dominik Szoboszlai, an intermediate left forward who also takes free-kicks, and former Brighton box-to-boxer Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo’s World Cup-winning teammate .
Klopp is set to continue his move to a trendy 3 box-3 formation with right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold taking on a central midfield role, shifting flank coverage more to right centre-back, possibly Ibrahima Konate, when is counterattacked. The box is rounded out with a forward who also plays more centrally, so Alexander-Arnold is now less of a winger and more of a deep quarterback.
The Reds’ three leaders – Luiz Diaz, Diogo Jota and ex-Blue Mo Salah – scored against Bundesliga newcomers Darmstadt on Monday. Another potential starter, Darwin Nunez, struck an effective deal with Salah on the right, although the tactically disciplined Cody Gakpo is likely to be called up against Chelsea.
How to see Chelsea Vs Liverpool
This match will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK. You can find the broadcaster that is relevant to you on the Premier League broadcast program pages.
Chelsea TV’s global match coverage – including team news, exclusive interviews and analysis – is available on the 5th Stand app, Facebook Live and the official YouTube channel.
Chelsea vs Liverpool – the story
For 73 years, 11 months and 17 days (until Robbie Di Matteo’s 6-0 win over West Bromwich on August 14, 2010), Chelsea’s biggest opening weekend victory in the English top flight has was the 6-1 win over Liverpool on August 28. 2010. August August 1937 at Stamford Bridge.
The remarkable performance of the retirees was the main subject of Pathé news this week. George Mills scored a hat-trick for Leslie Knighton’s side and just weeks later the centre-forward completed a league goal century, the first Chelsea player to do so.