Liverpool led nine minutes before half-time, but Mohamed Salah needed a second opportunity to tap in the rebound after Neto had saved his penalty
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool shrugged off a red card for Alexis Mac Allister on his Anfield debut to beat Bournemouth 3-1 on Saturday as Brighton thrashed Wolves 4-1 to go top of the Premier League.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s move into a midfield role resulted in a strong finish to a disappointing season for Liverpool last term, but he was guilty of giving the ball away for Antoine Semenyo’s opener after only three minutes.
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Luis Diaz provided it as he flicked up Diogo Jota’s cross and then acrobatically fired an overhead kick into the bottom corner. Jurgen Klopp’s men led nine minutes before half-time, but Mohamed Salah needed a second opportunity to tap in the rebound after Neto had saved his penalty.
Meanwhile, Chelsea, under the watchful eyes of new manager Mauricio Pochettino, came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Liverpool in a high-octane Premier League opener.
In the marquee matchup of the Premier League's opening round, Luis Diaz put Liverpool ahead after a lightning counterattack in the 18th minute and defender Axel Disasi marked his Chelsea debut by scoring the equalizer from close range in the 37th.
"It was difficult from the beginning but how we grew in the game and how we found the way to play and how we started to dominate and push Liverpool deeper and deeper, I am very pleased about everything," Pochettino said after his return to management, having sat out a year after being fired by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
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 pounds ($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.
(With agency inputs)
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