Jacob Steinberg’s match report has arrived, so it’s time to wrap this blog up. Thanks for your company and emails, goodnight.
More from Trent Alexander-Arnold
We’ve got a team full of winners; we’ve brought in a player who has won the World Cup. Our aim is to win the league. We’re not gonna be shy about saying that and nor should we. We look back on last season as a big disappointment, because with the players we’ve got we should be challenging for the title every year.
We played a certain way for a long, long time. Potentially teams were getting used to that. We've changed now – having new tactics and new players freshens up the whole club. Hopefully we’re able to get as close to perfection as possible.
Trent Alexander-Arnold talks to Sky Sports
It was a difficult game. They’ve made a number of changes and so have we, and we’re playing a fairly new system as well. We knew they had a point to prove after a really poor season. Stamford Bridge, you’d probably take a point if you were offered it at the start of the season.
We preferred for them to play 4-3-3 but they set up with a back three. They pressed high and made it hard for us to play. The first 20-25 minutes were really good for us; we just couldn’t keep it up for some reason and they took control fo the game. At a certain point, when you’re away from home, you switch – you stop chasing the win and you take the point.
I enjoy getting on the ball and helping the team win games. With my passing range I can control the game more from a central area. We try to press high – I was pressing their left centre-back today – but if they do go out down that side, it’s a long way back!
I’d be up for [starting in midfield], but it’s not my decision. There’s times when we lose the ball and it’s quicker for Ibu [Konate] to go into a right-back position and I go into a centre-back position. But our philosophy is to counter-press and that’s the first thing on my mind.
Mauricio Pochettino will probably be the happier manager. After a nervous start, in which Luis Diaz scored a fine goal and Mo Salah had a second ruled out for the tightest of offsides, Chelsea recovered to dominate the last hour of the game.
Axel Disasi equalised, Ben Chilwell had a goal disallowed and Nicolas Jackson, who looked a nightmare to play against, was denied on at least two occasions by the excellent Alisson.
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Full time: Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool
Peep peep! An enjoyable draw between two teams who want to start afresh.
90+4 min: Chance for Chelsea! My word, almost a goal at both ends. Chelsea break from that Liverpool corner, with Mudryk put through on goal by Jackson. He goes round Alisson but takes it too close to the byline for a shot, then turns and tries to play the ball back to Maatsen. He fresh-airs a shot under pressure from Mac Allister. I thought there might have been a foul but nobody appealed.
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90+3 min: Just wide from Nunez! Oof, that was so close. Nunez cuts inside from the left, 25 yards out, and belted a shot that took a nick off the stretching Ugochukwu and looped just wide of the far post. Klopp applauds Nunez, growls and then beats his chest.
90+1 min Five minutes of added time. Liverpool appeal for a penalty when Szoboszlai’s cross hits the outstretched arm of Maatsen – but the reason his arm was up was that he was appealing, rightly, that Szoboszlai was offside.
90 min: Chelsea substitution Lesley Ugochukwu replaces Ben Chilwell, who made the equaliser and was generally excellent. When he and Reece James are on the field, Chelsea are a serious team.
89 min Gallagher fouls Mac Allister, who waves an imaginary card. Anthony Taylor gives him one.
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88 min: Chance for Liverpool! Sanchez plays an awful pass, straight to his old teammate Mac Allister 25 yards from goal. He clips it forward to the unmarked Nunez, who can’t control an awkward ball just inside the area. That was a chance for Nunez, though Mac Allister’s pass wasn’t the best.
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87 min Liverpool have been slightly better since the double substitution, with Elliott seeing plenty of the ball.
85 min Konate commits a cynical foul on Jackson, who waves an imaginary card. Anthony Taylor books Jackson but not Konate.
85 min Mudryk zips infield from the right and plays a one-two-three with Maatsen. It would have been a one-two-three-four had Maatsen’s overhit second pass not been intercepted by Jones.
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83 min Chelsea continue to look the likelier winners, not that this counts for much.
82 min “Last year Liverpool’s defensive midfielders were too easy to canter past,” says Paul Griffin. “They have IMMEDIATELY and COMPLETELY solved this problem, by now having no defensive midfielders on the pitch to canter past. Machiavelli and Lao Tzu would have barely dreamed of this level of 3-D chess and that’s why they never made it in the Prem.”
82 min: Chelsea substitutions Mykhailo Mudryk and Ian Maatsen replace Carney Chukwuemeka and the excellent Raheem Sterling.
81 min Nunez tries to run Thiago Silva, who times his sliding tackle immaculately. He’s 39 next month.
78 min “Just on the shirt sponsor chat,” begins Paul McGrory, “I can’t think of a bigger turnaround in sponsorship message than Derry City in the late 1980s. They went from popular Bass-beating Irish ale Smithwick’s in ‘87 to local alcohol rehab centre Northlands in ‘88.”
Is that right? Feels like there’s an 800-word piece in that, never mind an MBM aside.
77 min Apparently Jurgen Klopp ignored Salah when he came off the field. Salah was obviously unhappy as he walked off.
76 min: Liverpool substitutions Ben Doak, the teenager Scottish winger, and Harvey Elliott replace Mo Salah, who is fuming, and Luis Diaz.
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75 min: Chelsea substitution Malo Gusto replaces poor Reece James, who has picked up another injury. It doesn’t seem too severe – he is able to jog off – but it’s a blow to a player who has had rotten luck.
74 min The old xG aside, Jackson has had a terrific debut. His attitude and movement look perfect for a lone striker, and only one of his chances was close to a sitter.
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72 min: Another good save from Alisson! He’s keeping Liverpool in this. Alexander-Arnold, deep in the Chelsea half, gives the ball away to Colwill, who slides an early ball into the Liverpool half for Jackson. He gallops through the inside-left channel, holding off Konate, and hammers a low left-footed shot that is well blocked at the near post by Alisson.
70 min Even if Liverpool sting Chelsea in the last 20 minutes, Mauricio Pochettino will be really encouraged by this performance. Chelsea don’t look like a team with four debutants, a new manager and only four players who managed 20 league apperances last year.
68 min Alexander-Arnold is booked for timewasting at a throw-in.
66 min: Liverpool substitutions Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones replace Cody Gakpo, who struggled as a No8, and Diogo Jota.
65 min Colwill, still up following a corner, has a first-time shot well blocked by Jota. It’s all Chelsea, and Jurgen Klopp is about to respond.
63 min More Chelsea pressure, with Sterling’s cross on the turn cleared by Van Dijk, but back it comes again. This might be Sterling’s best game for Chelsea. He hasn’t been incredible, but he’s been a constant pest and has combined very well with both Fernandez and James.
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63 min “Peter Oh’s email and your reaction elicited two different responses, highlighting the duality of Matt’s 1990s,” writes Matt Dony. “First of all, the nerdy, computer loving Matt loved the Commodore Amiga Chelsea shirts. I still miss my A600, playing Frontier: Elite II for more hours than was healthy. Then I discovered music, nothing else mattered, and joined a band. There was a pub in Haverfordwest that will remain nameless (even though it closed years ago) which sold Skol for 50p a pint until much later than you’d expect, and had decidedly lax age restrictions. I may have said it before, but the 1990s were great.”
62 min Chilwell, who like James has been a constant threat, is fouled on the left wing. James tries to shoot from an absurd angle, and finds that some things are beyond even his right foot.
61 min “It’s hard to think of a more fitting sponsor than Newcastle Brown Ale for NUFC,” writes Josse McMahon. “The 1997-99 incarnation was the first kit I ever owned. I loved that shirt, and funnily enough no one at the time, including my parents, thought anything was amiss with a 12-year-old wearing an advert for alcohol. I must admit though, that the 1995-97 kit may have been even better, just without quite the same sentimental value to me.”
60 min In the last ten minutes Chelsea have had 75 per cent of the possession. “It’s far too easy to play against Liverpool,” says Jamie Carragher on Sky.
59 min James’ deep cross just evades the leaping Jackson, who was expertly eased away from the ball by Alexander-Arnold. James has put in some fantastic crosses today.
58 min “Decent game,” says Mark Childs, “but I agree with the (US) commentator’s point that each team seems unfinished: specifically, I’d say that Gallagher and Mac Allister are not the long-term holding midfielders for these teams.”
Yep, agreed. Chelsea could be unrecognisable by February. Liverpool only need to fill one position, but it’s an extremely important one.
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56 min Gallagher, in the centre circle, makes a vital lunging tackle to stop Salah scurrying through on goal. It was another fine break from Liverpool, with Jota sending Salah clear. Or so he thought.
55 min: Fine save from Alisson! Sterling, who has been terrific, beats two players on the right and feeds the ball infield to Enzo Fernandez. He opens his body to angle an imaginative through ball towards the unmarked Chilwell on the far side of the area. Chilwell’s first touch is imperfect, which takes him slightly wide, and Alisson charges out to block the eventual shot.
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54 min: No penalty! I think that’s the correct decision. I’d like to see a replay of the original chance for Diaz, which looked a very good one. He headed it across goal instead of towards it.
53 min: Just wide from someone! Szoboszlai’s near-post corner is headed on by Diaz and hits the hand of Jackson before bouncing just wide of goal. His hand was close to his body but his arm was bent, so this may be a matter for VAR.
52 min Liverpool have made a bright start to the second half, as they did the first. Robertson’s corner is put behind for a corner by Thiago…
51 min “You’ll be fascinated to know that Hafnia, according to the Liverpool Echo, were a Danish meat manufacturer,” writes Stephen Moonie. “Unfortunately, their products, such as corned beef, jellied veal and ox tongue were never available in the UK. The company was soon dissolved after their First Division triumph.”
I thought that might be a wind up, but it’s not.
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49 min Alexander-Arnold’s corner is headed away by Jackson. Liverpool keep the ball alive and Van Dijk crashes a curling shot just over the bar from the edge of the area. Sanchez had it covered, I think, but it was a fine effort.
48 min Jackson is down after being caught by Van Dijk in a delicate area. He’s fine.
47 min Gallagher loses the ball in a dangerous area. Szoboszlai surges forward and moves the ball across the field to Diaz on the area. His attempted Henry curler is well off target and Colwill puts it behind for a corner.
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47 min “If it’s iconic 1980’s shirt sponsors you’re after, look no further than the ‘VG’ chain of convenience stores in Dundee who sponsored United during their mid-80s European pomp,” writes Simon McMahon. “Here’s club legend Dave Narey celebrating another famous win with Limahl from Kajagoogoo.”
46 min Peep peep! Liverpool begin the second half.
“I’m pretty much the opposite of a Chelsea fan,” says Peter Oh, “but I remember having some positive feelings for them back in the 90s when the American beer brand Coors emblazoned their shirts.”
Whenever I see a Chelsea kit from that era, I’m transported to the magical night at Keele University in March 1996 when, for reasons that were never pursued, Coors was 50p a can.
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Ach, Roy Keane didn’t use the phrase “smell the danger” to describe Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defending on the Chelsea goal. The farm is no more.
Your half-time task is to sign up for Jonathan Wilson’s new weekly newsletter on the subject of association football.
Half time: Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool
A half of two halves. Liverpool dominated the first and took the lead with a fine goal from Luis Diaz. When Mo Salah put them 2-0 ahead, it looked like they might run riot – but the goal was disallowed for a Spandex-tight offside, and Chelsea made a turning point out of it.
Axel Disasi equalised on his debut, then Ben Chilwell had a goal disallowed for another offside. Chelsea’s debutant striker Nicolas Jackson, whose general work has been impressive, missed one excellent chance and two decent ones.
45+6 min Fernandez’s free-kick is headed across goal by Disasi and then hooked back across the area on the stretch by Colwill. The ball drops behind for a goalkick.
45+4 min “Liverpool’s HITACHI, the OG of English league shirt sponsors (I believe) was a thing of beauty,” says Simon Frank. “Made them look so….. intercontinental.”
Not a word that was used to describe the Crown Paints era.
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45+3 min Jota receives treatment after a block tackle from Colwill. He’ll now have to spend 30 seconds off the pitch.
45+2 min A very deep cross from Sterling is met by Chilwell, who slips as he tries to volley on the stretch. It would have been a monstrous goal.
45+1 min There will be six added minutes. The best players on the pitch thus far: Reece James and Mo Salah, with a respectful nod to Raheem Sterling.
45 min “I think I’m with you when it comes to shirts without sponsors,” says David Wall, joining me in Club Minority. “I noticed this with Forest’s shirt last season. Rather than looking classy they look like something in the catalogues that local sides choose from, before then customising it to their club. Perhaps that’s only true of single colour, patternless shirts (so, for instance, the old-fashioned Ajax shirt, or those of the Milan clubs would look classy). but a well-incorporated, and long-term, sponsor name adds character, becoming part of the look to the extent you can forget what they’re trying to sell.”
I still don’t know what Hafnia sell, and they won the league in 1984-85.
45 min Fernandez plays another dangerous through ball, this time towards Sterling. Robertson just beats him to the ball on the edge of the D and pokes it back to Alisson. Chelsea are on top just now.
43 min: Great chance for Jackson! Chelsea should be ahead. James combines nicely with Sterling again and fires a superb low cross towards the near post. Jackson meets it ahead of Konate but sidefoots over the bar from eight yards.
I must say, though his finishing thus far has been poor, Jackson’s movement and gameness have been impressive.
43 min The big takeaway from this first half is that Liverpool will be involved in very few goalless draws this season.
42 min Salah’s shot from the edge of the area is comfortably saved by Sanchez. It was going wide anyway. A half-chance at best.
41 min On the Chelsea goal that did count, I will bet the entire farm that, during the half-time analysis on Sky Sports, Roy Keane uses the phrase “smell the danger” in reference to Trent Alexander-Arnold. He failed to do exactly that and Disasi ran past him to score.
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NO GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool
Yep, offside, as you were.
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Enzo Fernandez made the goal with a simple pass that exposed Liverpool’s highish line. Chilwell waltzed through on goal and then around Alisson to score. It was a fine finish, almost nonchalant, but I think he’s offside.
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GOAL! Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool (Chilwell 39)
This might be offside. But if not…
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Liverpool couldn’t get out from that Chelsea corner. Two crosses were cleared, but the same went only as far as Chilwell on the edge of the area. He lobbed a header into a dangerous area, and Disasi got the run on Alexander-Arnold before dragging the ball past the outrushing Alisson.
GOAL! Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool (Disasi 37)
Axel Disasi, who was at fault for Liverpool’s goal, has made amends!
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36 min Chelsea continue to look most threatening on their right, with James and Sterling both quite lively. As I type, James releases Sterling near the byline on the right. Sterling wriggles away from a half-arsed challenge by Gakpo and cuts the ball back into the six-yard box. Alexander-Arnold boots the ball over his own bar. And then…
34 min “Re: Bobby Dunnett’s contribution on 28 mins,” begins Alex Whitney, “how much could we use a ‘No Gambling’ sponsor right about now?”
There’s more chance of a Premier League team being sponsored by a company called Fags and Booze For Bairns.
32 min Enzo Fernandez and Diogo Jota have a row about something or other. Anthony Taylor books them both and wags his finger to reinforce the point.
NO GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool
It looked like Axel Disasi on the far side was playing Salah onside, but VAR’s lines said otherwise. Jurgen Klopp starts laughing and then applauds his players.
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Mo Salah has scored in the opening game of the season for the seventh consecutive season. This one was made by Alexander-Arnold, who wandered into midfield and played a killer pass inside Colwill to put Salah through on goal. Salah ran towards Sanchez and dinked the ball gently over him. There’s a VAR check for offside but I think he’s okay.
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GOAL! Chelsea 0-2 Liverpool (Salah 29)
Another superb goal from Liverpool!
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28 min “You’ve opened the door for a discussion of classic 80s shirt sponsors,” says Bobby Dunnett. “West Brom’s No Smoking kit takes some beating.”
One of the more unusual sponsorship deals of the 80s was the one between West Brom & the West Midlands Health Authority who opted to promote their 'no smoking' campaign on the shirts.#wba #westbrom #westbromwichalbion #wbakit #wbashirt #footballshirtsponsor #umbro pic.twitter.com/0f3tnI8uRw
— John Devlin (@TrueColoursKits) July 27, 2021
26 min: Vital block by Thiago! Liverpool break dangerously again, three on two. This time Diaz feeds Salah, in space on the edge of the area. He takes a touch and slaps a curling shot that is kicked away by Thiago in the six-yard box. I suspect that was going in.
24 min: Chance for Jackson! Colwill arrows a square pass into Jackson, 25 yards from goal. He moves into the area, away from Gakpo, but then drags a left-footed shot well wide of the far post. That errant finish aside, Jackson has made a promising start.
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23 min Chelsea have had 66 per cent of the possession, which is slightly surprising to read.
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21 min Chilwell goes over in the area after a slight push from Konate. Anthony Taylor isn’t interested.
20 min As Salah ran at Colwill, Diaz was goalside of both Disasi and Thiago, which probably isn’t how the game looked on Mauricio Pochettino’s chalkboard two hours ago. It made Salah’s pass slightly easier, though it was still weighted perfectly.
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Mac Allister, deep in his own half, pinged an excellent pass out to Salah on the right. He killed it deftly, ran at Colwill and then curled a devastating pass beyond the Chelsea defence. Diaz ran onto it, 10 yards out, and slid the ball past Sanchez. That’s a brilliant goal, although Disasi did give Diaz too much space.
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GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool (Diaz 18)
Liverpool take the lead with a terrific goal!
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17 min “Football shirts without sponsors do look inherently classy,” says Matt Dony. “Fortunately, though, Chelsea completely undermine that class I was with the garish, cheesy shiny gold badge and Nike swoosh. Hard to mess up, but they managed it. Well done.”
I know I’m in a minority, on pretty much everything but specifically with football kits. I think they look better with a sponsor’s logo; it gives them character. It depends on the sponsor, of course. Draper Tools or Mita Copiers = good. Gamble Responsibly Yeah = Bad.
16 min: Good save from Alisson! Chelsea are starting to threaten down their right. Sterling finds James, whose lovely first-time cross finds Jackson at the near post, six yards out. His poked shot is well blocked by the outrushing Alisson.
13 min The Chelsea chance was also well made. Sterling, in the inside-right channel, threaded an angled through pass towards Fernandez, who galloped into the area and hit a first-time shot on the run. Konate came across to make a fine block. Fernandez is playing very high up the field when Chelsea have the ball.
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12 min: Salah hits the bar! Konate made a good block from Fernandez at one end, and moments later Liverpool were through down the other. Gakpo beat Gallagher on the edge of the area but then surprisingly decided not to shoot. Instead he flicked the ball back to Salah, who turned in the D and whipped a right-footed shot that clattered off the top of the bar.
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10 min Chelsea’s first corner is taken short to James, whose dangerous flat cross towards Jackson (I think) is headed away well by Jota.
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10 min When Chelsea have the ball, Fernandez is playing 10-15 yards further forward than Gallagher. We probably should start listing two formations for each team, with the ball and without.
8 min Thiago pings a nice crossfield pass to Chilwell. He tries to lob the ball over Konate and is calmly dispossessed. Liverpool have started this game with a brusque authority.
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6 min Liverpool have started very confidently, pinning Chelsea back and working the ball nicely through midfield. Szoboszlai injects some pace with a thrilling run past three Chelsea players and into the area. Jota takes the ball off him and slices a first-time shot well wide.
4 min Chukwuemeka is booked for a very high tackle on Konate. The crowd boo but that might have been worse. Konate ducked into the ball and Chukwuemeka scraped his studs across Konate’s chest. Reckless rather than dangerous I guess.
3 min A pass from Jackson to Colwill goes straight out of play, a reflection of a slightly jittery start from Chelsea.
2 min Mac Allister’s cross from a narrow position is headed well wide by Jota on the edge of the area.
2 min The formations are pretty much as expected, 3-4-2-1 for Chelsea and 4-1-2-3 for Liverpool.
1 min Peep peep! After the players take the knee, Chelsea kick off from right to left as we watch.
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The players gather round the centre circle to pay tribute to Chelsea legend John Hollins, who died in June aged 76.
Mauricio Pochettino bounds out of the tunnel and gives Jurgen Klopp a warm hug. As Sky’s new signing Peter Drury notes, Klopp’s first game as Liverpool manager was against Pochettino’s Spurs.
Chelsea’s new captain Reece James lines up alongside Liverpool’s new captain Virgil van Dijk in the tunnel. With all the new players, and one new manager, it’s easy to forget what a huge day this is for both of them. But especially for James, who is club captain of Chelsea at the age of 23.
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The managers speak to Sky Sports
Mauricio Pochettino
After nearly four years it’s nice to be back [in the Premier League]. I’m so excited but also so focussed. We want to start in a good way. We are playing a very good team. We trust in ourselves and I think it’s going to be a nice watch.
Jurgen Klopp
[I want to see] bravery. That we give it a try, that we’re compact, that we wanna create, difficult to play against. My wish list is pretty long: let’s see what I get.
And here’s Karen Carney on the man who should be Chelsea manager for the foreseeable. For reference, Spurs finished fifth in Pochettino’s first season, then third (the Leicester year), second and third again. Their points total by season tells a clearer story of improvement: 64, 70, 86, then 77 and 71 after that.
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From the archive
Jonathan Wilson on Liverpool
Chelsea are without a number of players today, most notably Christopher Nkunku. Liverpool are missing Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic.
Brentford v Spurs still has around ten minutes (plus added time) remaining. You can follow that with Daniel Harris.
Whether it’s the real quiz depends on your perspective, but it seems Chelsea have already had one victory over Liverpool this weekend.
Those are two interesting teams, with debuts galore: Robert Sanchez, Axel Disasi, Levi Colwill and Nicolas Jackson for Chelsea; Alexis Mac Allister and Dominic Szoboszlai for Liverpool.
Chelsea (possible 3-4-2-1) Sanchez; Disasi, Thiago, Colwill; James, Gallagher, Fernandez, Chilwell; Sterling, Chukwuemeka; Jackson.
Substitutes: Bergstrom, Gusto, Cucurella, Maatson, Santos, Ugochukwu, Mudryk, Madueke, Burstow.
Liverpool (possible 4-1-2-3) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister; Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Salah, Jota, Diaz.
Substitutes: Kelleher, Gomez, Nunez, Jones, Elliott, Tsimikas, Matip, Doak, McConnell.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
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Team news
Your Chelsea side today! 🔵@ParimatchUK | #CheLiv pic.twitter.com/hv2FCeaUTD
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 13, 2023
Your first Reds line-up of the 2023/24 @PremierLeague season 📋🔴#CHELIV
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 13, 2023
Preamble
Chelsea and Liverpool have plenty in common. They don’t like each other; they do like Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia; and they would really like to forget about last season. Chelsea finished 12th, their lowest position in a generation; Liverpool were fifth after a late rally, but for much of the season they were a shadow of the awesome side that won the Premier League and Champions League.
Both teams have had a summer makeover. Chelsea have a young, streamlined squad and a new manager in the brilliant Mauricio Pochettino; Liverpool have a new midfield. Both teams are not in the Champions League this year, which increases their chances of qualifying for next season’s competition. In short, there is justified first-day optimism for both teams – though they wouldn’t have minded an easier fixture.
Kick off 4.30pm.
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