Chelsea v Liverpool player ratings
Axel Disasi’s goal on his debut earned Chelsea a point in their first game under Mauricio Pochettino. Here’s how we rated each Blues player in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool.
Robert Sanchez: 5
An uninspiring debut for the keeper, who was blameless for Liverpool’s goal but looked uncertain throughout – not least when his poor pass almost led to a goal for his former Brighton team-mate Alexis Mac Allister.
Axel Disasi: 6
Scored on his debut, but had some problems defensively. Was caught out in the build-up to Liverpool’s goal and endured a difficult first half before equalising.
Thiago Silva: 7
Showed his usual class and composure and saved the day with some timely blocks and interceptions, the best of which was a great tackle to deny Darwin Nunez.
Levi Colwill: 6
Had a difficult first half and at times looked out of depth up against Mohamed Salah. But the defender was much better after the interval.
Reece James: 8
The skipper was caused some problems defensively but was terrific going forward, creating a couple of fine chances for Nicolas Jackson.
Enzo Fernandez: 7
Did well in midfield. Tidy on the ball and always willing to put a foot in. Seems to have adjusted to English football.
Carney Chukwuemeka: 7
Somewhat inevitably, given his inexperience, the youngster didn’t always make the right decisions on the ball. But he was relentless with his work-rate, covering a huge amount of ground in a non-stop display before he went off in the second half.
Conor Gallagher: 7
Also worked very hard off the ball – and needed to, because Chelsea were sometimes outnumbered in the middle.
Ben Chilwell: 7
Gave as good as he got in a battle on the flank with Trent Alexander-Arnold. Was involved in setting up Chelsea’s goal and thought he had scored himself when he slotted into the net after rounding keeper Alisson, but VAR showed he was offside.
Raheem Sterling: 7
Had a very decent game against his former club. Always looked lively.
Nicolas Jackson: 6
Ultimately a disappointing debut for the forward as he missed chances as Chelsea at times replicated the wastefulness in front of goal which plagued them last season. But Jackson certainly troubled the visiting defence and his link-up play was very good at times.