Towards the end of the match, the new Chelsea captain was replaced by Malo Gusto, who was also making his debut.
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The highlight of the opening Premier League weekend was the mouth-watering tie between Chelsea and Liverpool. There was a lot to expect from both sides going into the game for obvious reasons. They both endured below-par season last time around, something not many saw it coming. Liverpool missed out on Champions League football by finishing outside the top four positions, while Chelsea missed out on Europe entirely to finish outside the top half of the table.
With a lot of activity also going around both teams in the ongoing transfer window, it was a chance for both sets of supporters to take a look at some of the new recruits. Those fans were not let down, as Chelsea and Liverpool played out an enthralling 1-1 draw in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge. Luis Diaz opened the scoring for the visitors but Chelsea new signing Axel Disasi pulled one back to make it all square. Apart from Disasi, other recruits Robert Sanchez and Nicolas Jackson also started the game.
Meanwhile, talented academy graduate Levi Colwill made his maiden senior appearance for the Blues. It was also a special occasion for Reece James, as he wore the captain’s armband for the first time. “After nearly six weeks working, we decided with the club to give the armband to him. He is a fantastic player, a fantastic boy, and he loves Chelsea. He is a leader, his teammates respect him, and everyone at the club respect him. The fans love him also, so he is the perfect player to be the captain,” manager Mauricio Pochettino quoted as saying by the club’s website after the match.
However, James was not able to play out the entire game. Towards the end of the match, the new Chelsea captain was replaced by Malo Gusto, who was also making his debut on Sunday. Quashing concerns of an injury, Pochettino said, “He was tired. The first thing when we arrived is to assess and analyse all the players from the past. He was injured for three or four months. Pre-season was tough – and tough for him. We didn’t want to take any risks, of course, which is why after around 80 minutes, we wanted to take away a little bit the risk.”
Switching the attention back to the match, Pochettino was happy with the performance but also felt that they could have won the game against Liverpool. “In the beginning, it was tough. Liverpool was better for 15/20 minutes. But after we started to feel more comfortable on the pitch, find our ways to play, our positions, all the things we were working on the training ground. After that, the performance was really good,” he stated.
“We scored and then we showed a great performance and effort. I am so pleased with the performance and I think we deserved to win. We only conceded one shot on target against a team like Liverpool – that is a big credit to the players. It’s only the start, only the beginning. After six weeks working together, all I can say is thank you to all the staff in all the areas of the clubs. But the players, they are the principle actors.”
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