Moments you might not have seen in Sunday’s Premier League clash between Liverpool and Chelsea
Liverpool started the new Premier League season with a hard-fought draw at Chelsea on Sunday.
An early Luis Diaz goal was leveled before half-time by Axel Disasi to give the Reds a 1-1 draw with Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
The result means Jurgen Klopp’s men extended their league unbeaten run to 12 games after a strong end to last season.
The result means Jurgen Klopp’s men extended their league unbeaten run to 12 games after a strong end to last season.
Klopp was excited
While walking the touchline, Jurgen Klopp lived every moment of what was often a thrilling game. Poor Andy Robertson was the subject of much anger in the second half, with Klopp continuing to punt at left-back after the final whistle.
Some generally faltering defenses in the second half resulted in the Reds boss rushing from his technical area and launching a tirade at his faltering defenders.
But the real anger was directed at referee Anthony Taylor seconds earlier for a somewhat harsh decision to penalize Dominik Szoboszlai just before the bench. Head in his hands and falling to his knees, Klopp really couldn’t believe it.
This was Klopp’s ninth time as manager having traveled from Liverpool to Stamford Bridge (he missed January 2022 due to contracting the coronavirus, don’t forget). But something was different on her last visit.
Instead of being dugout to the right of the tunnel, the Reds’ dugout was on the other side, closer to the end.
The reason? New Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino prefers to step out of the tunnel and sit on the right side, as he did at Tottenham Hotspur. A creature of habit, he discovers. Boehly steps
Away from the action on the pitch, there was a heavy brawl in the stands with Liverpool owner John Henry and Chelsea boss Todd Boehly both in attendance.
And the latter was spotted after the match as he intentionally walked past the media hacks gathered in the mixed zone – where post match interviews take place – and through the tunnel towards the dressing rooms.
He suggested that Boehly was simply exploring all corners of Stamford Bridge to find the money to outbid Liverpool’s bid for Moises Caicedo. Rules of financial fair play, you say?
Chelsea disappointed
The new season had begun just half an hour for their team and the Chelsea fans had exhausted their usual anti-Liverpool chants. Melodies about unemployment and slip-ups from Steven Gerrard over nine years ago are now commonplace in the Chelsea songbook.
But it was the vocal minority sounds of two chanted references to the Hillsborough and Heysel disasters that saddened an otherwise fun afternoon, in which those involved let themselves and their club down in very public fashion.
What happens next could be the first real test of the authorities’ crackdown on such tragic chants. Liverpool and their fans will surely follow with interest.
