Start of 2023 Season

Pochettino's Chelsea fight back to draw 1-1 with Liverpool

Chelsea came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Liverpool on Sunday in a Premier League opener that showed the Blues have already made progress under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.

In the marquee matchup of the Premier League's opening round, Luis Diaz put Liverpool ahead after a lightning counter-attack in the 18th minute and defender Axel Disasi marked his Chelsea debut by scoring the equalizer from close range in the 37th.

Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool 

Both teams also had goals disallowed by VAR checks in an open and chance-filled first half that highlighted just why the two rivals are trying to spend more than £110 million ($140 million) on bringing in defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo from Brighton.

Caicedo 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 ball-winning midfielder of the Ecuadorian's caliber.

Chelsea 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 managers.

The hosts dominated possession and pegged Liverpool back for large parts of the game, although new striker Nicolas Jackson struggled to get involved. His best chance came in the 71st when he burst through on goal but had his shot saved by Alisson Becker.

Meanwhile, Liverpool's new-look midfield with summer signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai struggled to control the game, showing that Jurgen Klopp's team might miss the experience of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, both of whom moved to the Saudi Pro League this summer. Chelsea always looked vulnerable to counter-attacks, though, and Mohamed Salah had already hit the crossbar by the time Liverpool took the lead.