Chelsea vs Liverpool: score, goals, highlights | Premier League 2023-24

FIrst Premier League heavyweight clash of 2023-24

The first heavyweight clash of the Premier League took no time at all to come around and we were treated to a lively game between two teams who will probably be happy not to have lost ground to a direct rival on the opening weekend. 

Chelsea travel to West Ham next before facing Luton Town (home), Nottingham Forest (home) and Bournemouth (away), which should give them a decent chance to get off to a strong start. 

Liverpool have a slightly tougher run of fixtures coming, with a home game against Bournemouth followed by matches against Newcastle (away) and Aston Villa (home), who were two of the most impressive sides in last year's Premier League. 

Seven draws in a row between Chelsea and Liverpool

The four before today were goalless, so you can count yourselves lucky!

Who will be feeling happier with today's point? I'd say Liverpool. 

Enzo Fernández masterclass

I've not managed to find clips of Enzo's best bits from the game yet, so here's a stat instead. The Argentine showed why Chelsea spent big bucks on him in the January transfer window. 

This has perked back up! Jackson sends Mudryk through on goal and the winger goes round Alisson but is forced too wide for a shot at goal. His cutback comes towards Maatsen but he's eased off the ball just as he's about to pull the trigger. 

Nuñez goes close!

Sometimes Nuñez doesn't look like he's up to much, then all of a sudden he fires in a shot from nowhere, which is deflected just past the post!

Five minutes of added time to be played. 

Chilwell goes off, Ugochukwu comes on. 

Mac Allister sees yellow for a "dive", which looked harsh to me. 

A poor touch from Nuñez, although if Mac Allister had played it along the ground...

Nuñez squanders Liverpool's best chance!

Just as I say that, Sánchez plays a horrible pass out towards Fernández which is intercepted by Mac Allister. His ball into Nuñez comes into the striker at an awkward height and the Uruguayan miscontrols, with the ball running through to a relieved Sánchez. 

A bit of a lull in play, bizarrely, as full time appraoches. 

Impressive interplay from subs Mudryk and Maatsen but the Ukrainian loses the ball just when it looked as if he might get.a shot away. 

Liverpool have offered little in attack in this second half. Nuñez tries to change that by lining one up from long-range but is crowded out. 

That time of the game when it's sub after sub. Mudryk and Maatsen are next on for Chelsea, Chukwuemeka and Sterling go off. 

Salah goes off for Liverpool

Well, not many people saw this coming, least of all Salah, who is not impressed as he goes off. Díaz has also been replaced, with youngsters Ben Doak and Harvey Elliott sent on. 

Chelsea captain James injured

Not totally sure what happened but Chelsea captain Reece James, who has had his fair share of injuries to deal with in recent times, is going off with a knock. Malo Gusto makes his Premier League debut. 

Look for Enzo Fernández's individual highlights when this game is over. If I find them before we finish up, I'll post them. Tremendous. 

Alisson saves from Jackson!

Liverpool lose the ball inside the Chelsea half and with one pass The Blues are away. Jackson runs and runs and runs and eventually gets into the opposition box but can't beat Alisson from a tight angle.

Enzo running the show

Enzo Fernández, I salute you. Superb footwork to get out of a tight spot in midfield. He then picks a pass as cool as you like. 

Alexander-Arnold booked for timewasting

TAA in the book for taking too long over a throw-in. That's how it's going for Liverpool at the moment. 

Midway through the second half and the likes of Salah and Mac Allister have hardly had a kick. 

Liverpool subs

Here come those changes. Gakpo and Jota replaced by Curtis Jones and Darwin Nuñez. Can they turn the tide?

What a goal that would have been! The Chelsea defence are all up for a free-kick and Silva delightfully tees up Colwill with a back flick, although his close-range shot is blocked. 

It's not often you see Liverpool clear the ball aimlessly up the field but that's exactly that Robertson did there. Chelsea on top. 

Changes are coming for Liverpool...

Chilwell has been right in the thick of the action in the last few minutes and somehow manages to win a free-kick in a dangerous position even though it looked as if he had fouled Konaté. James tries to catch Alisson by surprise but whips it over the bar. 

James hangs a nice cross up to the back post but Jackson is just eased out of it by Konaté. Good defending. 

After a quiet start, Enzo Fernández has been brilliant in this game. And his tigerish ball-winning is rubbing off on his teammates. Chelsea flying into tackles at the moment. 

Huge chance for Chilwell!

Sterling does well to cut in from the right and finds Fernández, whose first-time pass finds Chilwell all alone on the left-hand side of the box. However, his first touch forces him wide and Alisson saves. 

There was a VAR check to see if Jackson stopped Díaz's header with his hand. Which he did, although his arm was tucked in near his body. 

Almost a second for Díaz!

Andy Robertson crosses...like London buses. Two in a minute and the second very nearly leads to Liverpool's second! Indirectly at least. It forces a corner, from which Díaz's head deflects inches past the post. 

We've barely seen Robertson as an attacking force in this game but he finally gets forward here. His cross is easily claimed by Sánchez, however. 

The corner is half cleared on two occasions, with van Dijk then finding himself in possession on the edge of the box. He curls a fierce shot towards the top corner and it goes just over. 

Díaz first to threaten!

The first moment of promise comes from Liverpool, who break forward at pace and work the ball left to Díaz, who aims for the far corner but miskicks, allowing Chelsea to clear for a corner. 

Back underway in London!

Here we go again. Hold onto your hats!

PREMIER LEAGUE

Why does Brighton midfielder Moisés Caicedo want to join Chelsea ahead of Premier League rivals Liverpool?

In the run-up to this game, Chelsea and Liverpool had been fighting it out for the signature of Brighton's Moisés Caicedo. It looked as if the Ecuadorian was heading for Anfield after The Reds had a British-record transfer bid accepted, only for the midfielder to reveal his preference was a move to London. 

What's going on there then?

Mohamed Salah starts fast again in the Premier League

Eight goals and four assists in seven games on the opening Premier League weekend of the season. It's almost as if Mohamed Salah misses playing soccer in the summer. 

HT: Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool

At one point during that first half, it looked as if Liverpool might run away with it. The Reds were by far the better team in the opening half-an-hour or so, with Chelsea struggling to defend against Mohamed Salah and co, who were afforded time and space in dangerous areas. The Egyptian played a superb through-ball for Luis Díaz to open the scoring then looked to have doubled his team’s advantage from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s slide-rule pass, only to be ruled offside.

That narrow escape galvanised the hosts, who had barely laid a glove on their opponents early on. Suddenly, Enzo Fernández was getting on the ball and Reece James and Ben Chilwell were offering a threat out wide. Axel Disasi bundled in an equaliser in the second phrase of play after a corner and, within a minute, Chilwell also had a goal disallowed for offside.

The Blues finished the half the stronger and were ultimately the ones who didn’t want to hear the half-time whistle.

Chelsea are looking much more dangerous towards the end of the half. Chilwell very nearly gets round the back of Alexander-Arnold again but the ball just has too much pace on it. 

Disasi has already scored once and he could've had a second there but didn't quite get enough on his header from a Fernández free-kick into the box. 

Jota gingerly jogs back on. Not sure if we'll see him in this second half...

We can add another minute or two on. Jota still receiving treatment. 

A old-fashioned tackle, shall we say, from Colwill on Jota, which looked fair but has left the Liverpool man on the floor. 

Salah again finds space on the right and plays a similar pass into the Chelsea box to the one that led to Díaz's goal. This time, however, Jota can't quite reach it. 

Six minutes added time. Better get used to this, folks...

Chance for Sterling!

Much better from Chelsea in the last few minutes. Sterling manages to find some space between the Liverpool centre-backs but shoots fairly weakly at Alisson. 

Jackson should score!

Chelsea should be ahead. Fernández, Sterling and James combine brilliantly down the right and the latter puts a low cross into the box for Jackson, who blazes over when he should have at least hit the target. 

Poor from Salah there (we don't say that often). Díaz picked him out on the edge of the box but the Egyptian scuffed his shot, which wasn't even going in before Sánchez saved. 

Chilwell's goal also disallowed!

Much like Salah, Chilwell was just offside as he latched onto Enzo Fernández's slide-rule pass. He took it brilliantly, as well. 

Oh, wait...

It looked as if Liverpool had dealt with the corner but Chilwell headed the ball back into the box and into the path of Disasi, who poked it past Alisson!

Chelsea go close!

That could have gone anywhere from TAA, who lashed at Sterling's low ball across goal and managed to get it over his own crossbar. 

A decent piece of build-up from Chelsea and James has space to deliver a dangerous cross but hits the first man. 

It may have been ruled offside, but the benefit of Alexnader-Arnold playing infield was clear for all to see in that offside goal. If you give a player of his class time to pick a pass, he'll do just that. Chelsea got lucky. 

Fernández and Jota booked

A little bit of off-the-ball nonsense between Fernández and Jota sees both booked. 

Salah's goal disallowed!

Still 1-0 to Liverpool, Salah was marginally offside. 

Oh, hang on a second...

Since the goal, Alexander-Arnold has begun stepping infield to play centrally. Liverpool dominating that battle at the moment. 

Have Chelsea never seen Liverpool play before? The Reds are being afford far too much space in the final third and only a last-ditch block from Silva stops Salah from doubling the visitors' lead. 

Jackson...well wide!

Great footwork and a fine pass from Colwill into Jackson, who makes space for a shot, which he drags slightly, and it also takes a deflection on its way wide. Not spotted by the match officials. 

At the other end, Konaté takes a risk as he attempts to stop Chilwell from getting the ball in the Liverpool box. The defender sticks an arm out and catches the Englishman. Not enough for a penalty but not the kind of defending you want from your centre-back either. 

Salah pulls away to the right and runs at Colwill before picking an inch-perfect pass for Díaz, who slots past Sánchez first time. Really poor marking from Chelsea, it must be said. 

Alisson denies Jackson!

A first chance for Chelsea! James gets in behind Robertson and plays a lovely low ball into the box for Jackson, who gets to it just ahead of Allison but can't get it past the Brazilian. 

Gakpo playing a much deeper role that we saw him in last season, basically lining up a midfield three alongside Mac Allister and Szoboszlai.

It's been a frantic start, which Liverpool have just about had the better of. 

Salah strikes the crossbar!

Moments after Enzo Fernández's break forward was thwarted in the box, Gakpo passes to Salah, who makes space for a right-footed shot, which clips the bar on its way over the bar. By far the closest we've come!!

Chelsea finally coming into the game a little with a bit of possession in the Liverpool half and a couple of balls into the box, which come to nothing. 

A cheeky nutmeg from Konaté on Chilwell. It led to nothing but it sure looked good. 

Why don't Chelsea have a shirt sponsor?

If you're watching and wondering why Chelsea don't have a shirt sponsor (it looks great, doesn't it?), then here's Will to explain. 

Not a great start for Jota. This time, Szoboszlai does brilliantly to drive into the Chelsea box and the Portuguese takes the ball off his teammate's toes, only to horribly lash well wide of goal. 

Big chance for Jota to play Diaz in down the Liverpool left but he overhits his pass and the Colombian is forced wide. He could've been clean through there!

Chukwuemeka sees yellow

That didn't take long. Konaté goes for a high ball with his head, Chukwuemeka goes with his foot and catches the defender. Textbook yellow. 

Alexander-Arnold, by the way, does indeed appear to have started at right-back. A fresh new haircut for TAA, too (although it's his 'old' one from when he first came onto the scene). 

A bright start from Liverpool and Jota tries his luck, although it doesn't threaten Sanchez's goal. 

Underway in London!

Chelsea get us going at the Bridge!

A minute's applause for Chelsea legend John Hollins

Former Chelsea player John Hollins, who played more than 400 games for the club, sadly passed away over the summer. A minute's applause at Stamford Bridge. 

Liverpool's attacking midfield

A very attacking Liverpool midfield line-up, if you ask me. Mac Allister and Szoboszlai are in there, liklely to be supported by Gakpo. 

The teams are out at Stamford Bridge

Moments away from kick off in West London, who've you got?

Liverpool team to play Chelsea

And here's today's Liverpool team. Trent Alexander-Arnold has been listed at right-back, although he finished last season in midfield. One to watch out for:

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz; Jota.

Chelsea team to play Liverpool

Almost time to go! Here's a little reminder of how Chelsea line up:

Sánchez; Disasi, Silva, Colwill; James, Enzo, Gallagher, Chukwuemeka, Chilwell; Sterling, Jackson.

Liverpool: ins and outs

The Liverpool XI to face Chelsea has a familiar look to it, with the exception of the midfield. Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have been The Reds' only summer signings so far and will start in the engine room at Stamford Bridge. 

James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlainhave all moved on from that part of the team, while striker Roberto Firmino has joined Henderson and Fabinho is heading to Saudi Arabia. 

Reece James named Chelsea captain

Following the departure of César Azpilicueta to Atlético Madrid, Reece James has been named Chelsea captain for the season ahead. 

Chelsea: ins and outs

As well as changing managed, Chelsea have also recruited:

- Nicolas Jackson (striker, Villarreal)

- Christopher Nkunku (forward, RB Leipzig)

- Axel Disasi (defender, Monaco)

- Robert Sánchez (goalkeeper, Brighton)

Those four players have cost around $161 million.

On top of that, they've splashed out almost $40 million on three teenagers (wingers Diego Moreira and Ângelo Gabriel, and midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu), who may or may not feature in the first team this season. 

As for outgoings, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Édouard Mendy, Kai Havertz, N'Golo Kanté, Tiémoué Bakayoko, Cesar Azpilicueta, Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have all left the club. 

I think that's the very definition of a revolving door. 

Mauricio Pochettino takes charge of Chelsea for the first time

Mauricio Pochettino has long been one of soccer's most highly thought of coaches, although he could probably do with winning a trophy or two to back it up (domestic trophies won with Paris Saint-Germain have to have an asterisk next to them given how vast their resources are compared to every other club in France). 

The Argentine did an excellent job at Spurs between 2014 and 2019, establishing the North London club as one of the Premier League's strongest teams. They reached a League Cup and a Champions League final in that time, but lost on both occasions. 

Although the pressure is always on at Chelsea, things really can't go much worse than they did last season. 

Inside the Liverpool dressing room

The obligatory snap from inside the dressing room from the Liverpool social media team. Seemingly, clubs get a one-point deduction this season if they don't post such a picture online before kick-off. 

Liverpool in the house

Liverpool have finally decided to grace us with their presence at Stamford Bridge. Game on!

Liverpool team to play Chelsea

Midfield is where the story is in the Liverpool line-up, with new arrivals Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlaistarting in the engine room, as expected. 

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz; Jota.  

Chelsea team to face Liverpool

New Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino gives debuts to summer signings Axel Disasi and Nicolas Jackson, while academy product Levi Colwill also makes his first start for the club. 

Sánchez; Disasi, Silva, Colwill; James, Enzo, Gallagher, Chukwuemeka, Chilwell; Sterling, Jackson.

How did Liverpool do in 2022-23?

Better than Chelsea, although that wasn't difficult. Although Liverpool also failed to reach expectations by missing on Champions League qualification too, finishing in fifth spot, four points behind fifth-placed Newcastle. The Reds lost just one Premier League game at Anfield but were badly let down by their away form, suffering eight defeats compared to only six wins. 

Jürgen Klopp's side also struggled in the cup competitions, losing in the fourth round of the FA and EFL Cups, as well as being eliminatinated at the round-of-16 stage of the Champions League. Like Chelsea, Real Madrid were also their conquerors. 

Chelsea hit Stamford Bridge!

Luckily for all us who are expecting a game of soccer, Chelsea have arrived at Stamford Bridge. Will Liverpool show up?

How did Chelsea do in 2022-23?

In a word, disastrously. 

At the very least, The Blues would have expected to qualify for the Champions League and they would perhaps even have been hoping to challenge for the Premier League title. After sacking Thomas Tuchel after just a few games, they drafted club legend Frank Lampard in for the remainder of the season, winning only five of their last 27 league games. They scored only 38 Premier League goals, a club-record low, and finished in the bottom half of the table (12th) for the first time in 27 years. 

They reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League but lost in the third round (their first) of both domestic cups. 

Chelsea hoping for an upturn in form at Stamford Bridge

"No place like home". Chelsea lost as many Premier League games as they won (six) at Stamford Bridge last season, although they fared every worse on the road, in all fairness. 

Surely they can't be as bad this time around, can they?

Liverpool: early team news

Thiago Alcántara is the main absentee for Liverpool, although fellow Spaniard Stefan Bajcetic is also out. Summer signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai (I will be copying and pasting his name, or hoping he doesn't play) are expected to make their debuts. 

REAL MADRID

Kepa close to completing Real Madrid move

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa, meanwhile, is on the verge of completing a loan move to Real Madrid and looks incredibly unlikely to play as a result, which means new recruit Robert Sánchez should start between the sticks. 

Chelsea: early team news

No official team news as yet but we know that summer signing Christopher Nkunku will be absent for several weeks after suffering a knee injury in pre-season. Defender Wesley Fofana could miss the entire season because of an ACL tear, while the game is likely to come too soon for Armando Broja, Benoit Badiashile and Noni Madueke, who have also been struggling with fitness issues. 

Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi are training away from the first team and will not play as they remain on the transfer list.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Chelsea vs Liverpool: times, how to watch on TV and stream online | Premier League

Before we get down to business, you may still be looking for a way to watch today's game. If you’re in the United States, then you’re in luck as there is a way and here are the details! Just be sure to stick with me too!

You can also watch a live stream of Chelsea vs Liverpool on fuboTV (there is a free trial available)

What time does Chelsea vs Liverpool kick-off?

The clash at Stamford Bridge gets underway at 4:30 p.m. local time in London, which makes it 11:30 a.m. ET and 8:30 a.m. PT. Nothing like a bit of Premier League to wake you up on a Sunday, isn’t that right, west coasters?

Over the next 90 minutes or so I’ll be bringing you build-up, team news and plenty more. Let's do this!

Hello and welcome to Chelsea vs Liverpool!

It’s the first weekend of the 2023-24 Premier League and the first blockbuster clash is already upon us! Liverpool and particularly Chelsea endured hugely disappointing campaigns last time around (more on that later) but that’s all been forgotten about. A new season brings new hopes and new dreams - what could these two achieve this term?

I’m Roddy and thanks for joining me for this one!