Chelsea and Liverpool play out 1-1 draw in high-octane Premier League opener

Chelsea under the watchful eyes of new manager Mauricio Pochettino came from behind to earn a 11 draw against Liverpool in a highoctane Premier League openerIn the marquee matchup of the Premier Leagues opening round Luis Diaz put Liverpool ahead after a lightning counterattack in the 18th minute and defender Axel Disasi marked his Chelsea debut by scoring the equalizer from close range in the 37thIt was difficult from the beginning but how we grew in the game and how we found the way to play and how we started to dominate and push Liverpool deeper and deeper I am very pleased about everything Pochettino said after his return to management having sat out a year after being fired by Paris SaintGermain PSGBoth teams also had goals disallowed by VAR checks in an open and chancefilled first half that highlighted just why the two rivals are trying to spend more than 110 million pounds 140 million on bringing in defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo from BrightonCaicedo has reportedly chosen to join Chelsea over Liverpool which could prove a more important result than the draw as it was evident that both sides badly need a ballwinning midfielder of the Ecuadorians caliberChelsea already looked a different team under Pochettino though playing with a level of intensity rarely seen at Stamford Bridge last season when the club went through three managersThe hosts dominated possession and pegged Liverpool back for large parts of the game although new striker Nicolas Jackson struggled to get involvedHis best chance came in the 71st when he burst through on goal but had his shot saved by Alisson BeckerMeanwhile Liverpools newlook midfield with summer signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai struggled to control the game showing that Jurgen Klopps team might miss the experience of Fabinho and Jordan HendersonAlso Read Unraveling mega deals and dilemmas Kylian Mbappe and the Saudi Arabia offerKlopp insisted that his newcomers are up to the taskOur defensive problems today had nothing to do with characteristics of the midfielders they are a bit more offensive but all of these boys can do what we want them to do Klopp said We were too deep as a formation and gave the half spaces away Its really OK today didnt decide where our season will go Lets be positiveChelsea always looked vulnerable to counterattacks though and Mohamed Salah had already hit the crossbar by the time Liverpool took the leadSalah burst forward and squared the ball for Diaz to slide in and sidefoot home past new Chelsea goalkeeper Robert SanchezSalah thought he had doubled the lead with a clinical finish in the 29th but replays showed he was just offside when making his run into the areaInstead Chelsea drew level through an unlikely source After Liverpool had cleared the ball twice following a corner it was headed straight back into the area by Ben Chilwell where Disasi was left alone to poke the ball past AlissonChelsea then thought it had taken the lead just minutes later but this time it was Chilwell who was narrowly offside when he was played through on goalLiverpool substitute Darwin Nunez came the closest to a late winner when his longrange strike in injury time was deflected narrowly wide for a cornerThat corner only led to a dangerouslooking counter for Chelsea but substitute Mykhailo Mudryk couldnt control the ball after rounding AlissonWith agency inputs