Chelsea and Liverpool played out a thrilling draw at Stamford Bridge as both sides delivered a prime example of why they are doing battle over £110m Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo.
Liverpool agreed a British record deal for Caicedo but the player’s preference means he is likely to complete a move to Chelsea.
A highly entertaining encounter showcased the attacking quality of both sides while the defensive deficiencies illustrated why Caicedo has become a prized target.
Liverpool dominated the early stages, Mohamed Salah striking the bar before the Egypt forward delivered a stunning pass for Luis Diaz to slide home the opening goal after 18 minutes.
Chelsea, in their first Premier League game under new manager Mauricio Pochettino, rallied and drew level with an equaliser from new signing Axel Disasi, who scored from six yards after Liverpool failed to clear a set-piece.
Both sides had further chances – with Liverpool keeper Alisson saving well from Ben Chilwell and Nicolas Jackson – but neither side could find a winner.
Chelsea’s bright start
Chelsea’s new manager Pochettino will have hoped to start his reign with a victory but there was plenty for him to be satisfied about as his new team recovered from a shaky start to deliver many encouraging signs.
There is work to do on making Chelsea more solid, hence the pursuit of Caicedo, but they showed character to overcome a sticky opening to make Alisson the busier goalkeeper in the second half and draw warm applause from their supporters at the final whistle.
New striker Jackson was powerful and industrious while left wing-back Chilwell was a threat going forward, not only bringing a save from the Brazil goalkeeper but also having a goal narrowly ruled out for offside following a video assistant referee intervention.
Pochettino knows there is work to do but a point against a Liverpool team determined to recapture their old position at the top of the table represents a decent start to the new campaign.
HALF-TIME Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool Goals from Luis Diaz and Axel Disasi see this game level. But that tells half of the story at Stamford Bridge, as both sides had goals disallowed in an all-action opening 45-minutes!
