Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool: Player ratings for Blues as Mauricio Pochettino's reign begins with a draw | Premier League 2023-24

Chelsea and Liverpool began their 2023-23 Premier League campaigns by sharing the points at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, August 13.

Luis Diaz stretched out a boot to turn home a defence-splitting pass by Mohamed Salah in the 18th minute to put the visitors ahead, much to the home crowd's frustration. Liverpool almost doubled their lead soon after as Salah slotted the ball past goalkeeper Robert Sanchez but was adjudged to have been offside.

After weathering the storm, Chelsea equalised in the 37th minute when the Reds failed to clear a corner and Axel Disasi put the ball in the back of the net, connecting with a looping Ben Chilwell header. Two minutes later, the Blues also saw a goal ruled out for offside when Ben Chilwell rounded goalkeeper Alisson Becker and finished a good move.

The two teams fought hard but could not find another breakthrough in the game and shared the spoils in west London.

On that note, here are the player ratings for Chelsea:

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Robert Sanchez - 5/10

Robert Sanchez almost cost his team a point with a very dicey pass out from his penalty area. He made decent saves when called upon and generally had very little to do in the match.

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Axel Disasi - 7/10

On his Premier League debut, Axel Disasi struggled with the pace of the Premier League. He was switched off for Liverpool's goal but made up for it by scoring on his first start for the club.

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Thiago Silva - 7/10

Remarkably, Silva keeps getting better each year! He was impeccable throughout the match, as evidenced by his diving block against a goal-bound Mohamed Salah shot.

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Levi Colwill - 6/10

Levi Colwill struggled throughout the first half against Salah and will be glad that the Egyptian's goal was ruled out for offside. That said, the young Englishman improved as the game wore on.

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Reece James - 6/10

In his first appearance as the club captain, Reece James was one of Chelsea's best attacking outlets. He looked good on the overlap and caused a few headaches for Liverpool's defenders. However, he had to be substituted in the 76th minute due to an injury.

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Enzo Fernandez - 7.5/10

Enzo Fernandez looked good in tight spaces and tried to produce something special whenever he got the ball. He was arguably Chelsea's best player against the Reds.

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Conor Gallagher - 6.5/10

Gallagher initially struggled with a deeper role but grew into the match. His energy was infectious and he flew into some crunching tackles in the second half.

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Ben Chilwell - 7/10

If not for VAR, Ben Chilwell would've had a goal against Liverpool. The Englishman was all over the left flank and looked to be playing as a left midfielder or forward during some stretches.

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Raheem Sterling - 6.5/10

Raheem Sterling misplaced a few passes in the first half, but like his teammates, looked better as the game progressed. He played an important role in the equaliser against his old team.

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Carney Chukwuemeka - 6/10

The youngster had a decent performance and got into really interesting positions, but didn't really make an impact on proceedings — besides the very early yellow card he picked up.

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Nicolas Jackson - 6.5/10

Nicolas Jackson, another Chelsea player making his debut, came close to scoring on his first start when he fired over the bar from close range. On the whole, he has looked much better as an attacking outlet compared to the lackluster job Kai Havertz did for Chelsea in recent years.

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Ratings of Chelsea substitutes

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Malo Gusto - 5/10

Gusto made his debut off the bench and helped Chelsea's defense maintain their shape.

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Mykhaylo Mudryk - 5/10

Mudryk looked bright but failed to make any significant impact.

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Ian Maatsen - N/A

Maatsen came on too late to make any meaningful contribution.

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Lesley Ugochukwu - N/A

Ugochukwu came on too late to make any meaningful contribution.