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London. — MAURICIO POCHETTINO began his Chelsea reign with a 1-1 draw against rivals Liverpool at Stamford Bridge last night.
A revamped Blues saw new man Pochettino hand debuts to goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, Axel Disasi and Nicolas Jackson, while off-season signings Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboslai started for Liverpool.
Liverpool looked to hit the opener on 13 minutes after Mohamed Salah dropped a shoulder before he curled a loose ball onto the woodwork, with Sanchez well beaten.
The Reds did go ahead three minutes later when Salah cut space around the area and cutback for Colombian international Luis Diaz to tuck in from close-range.
Salah looked to have added a second a minute to the half-hour mark after finishing off Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ball, but it went for a review and was disallowed for offside.
Debutant Disasi brought the Blues level seven minutes before halftime when he got on the end of Ben Chilwell’s layoff and nudged in from point-blank range.
The Reds were close to restore the lead through a glancing header at the near post by Diaz, but it bounced off Jackson and behind target. At the other end, Chelsea posed their own scare when Thiago Silva popped up in unfamiliar territory and stung the gloves of Alisson Becker with a rasping attempt. Liverpool freshened up in attack in the middle of the second period with the additions of Curtis Jones for Coady Gakpo before Diogo Jota vacated for Darwin Nunez.
Both sides went for the winner in a pacey closing spell but were immensely denied and it finished all square in North London.
In an earlier game Tottenham and Brentford shared the spoils following a 2-2 draw.
Llife after Harry Kane could hardly have started in stranger fashion. A delay because the stadium toilets were blocked, a goal headed in by concussed central defender and a deluge of chaos in a breathless first-half lasting close to an hour.
Ange Postecoglou promised his Tottenham would be fun to watch and they certainly delivered rich entertainment against a Brentford side who are also learning to cope without their main goal threat.
Spurs poured forward eager to fill the void left by Kane’s exit to Munich. They pushed the back line high and took risks on the ball. They always looked vulnerable, capable of conceding and yet they were adventurous and inventive in possession.
Yves Bissouma typified the approach, deployed as the deepest midfielder he was always looking to jink past the first opponent or bounce a one-two off a teammate. When it worked, it looked slick and stylish. When it didn’t, the defensive were plunged into trouble.
Perhaps understandably, Postecoglou’s team lacked any clinical edge they have come to rely upon with Kane up front. Richarlison led the line without looking like finding the net and Heung-min Son toiled wide on the left.
He was forced off straight after, though, after taking a blow to the head in an earlier collision
Son was largely subdued on his first appearance since inheriting the captaincy from Hugo Lloris and Kane. He conceded the penalty, which allowed Brentford back into the game and was replaced by Ivan Perisic. James Maddison, swiftly into Kane’s number 10 shirt, ended the game with the armband on. Romero and Maddison will be Postecoglou’s vice-captains and Romero was forced off, soon after registering the first goal of the new era.
It was a fine header, twisting to adjust as he attacked a swerving free-kick delivered by Maddison.
There was a long VAR check required to make sure he was onside. It was tight. He was on, just, but during the delay, Spurs decided the goal scorer could not continue.
Romero had clashed heads with Bryan Mbeumo in the opening minutes and was clearly feeling the effects. The Argentine centre-half indicated he thought he was fine and wanted to stay on but there was concern among his teammates, particularly Emerson Royal
“He’s not the one who makes that decision,” said Postecoglou, who deserves credit for taking control of the matter, even though he was annoyed to find his team had been denied the use of a “concussion sub” because they filled in the wrong form.
Davinson Sanchez came on, and Spurs had to resist a spell of pressure to protect their lead. New ‘keeper Guglielmo Vicario denied Mbuemo at the near post and Destiny Udogie, also on his debut, foiled Yoann Wissa.
The home team gathered momentum. If Tottenham are heading into transition, searching for a new – or an old – identity, then Brentford under Thomas Frank are a club who seem to have a perfect understanding of who they are and what they represent. They took four points from their two clashes with Spurs last season and there were times here when they looked most likely to take all three, despite the visitors dominating possession. — dailymail.
Online Reporter