Tag: CHELSEA

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WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SHARPER – TUCHEL CONDEMNS CHELSEA SHOWING IN JUVENTUS LOSS

Thomas Tuchel admitted Chelsea were “not free enough” as they slumped to a 1-0 Champions League defeat at Juventus.

Federico Chiesa’s sucker-punch strike just 11 seconds into the second half floored the Champions League holders in Turin.

Chelsea slipped to a second straight 1-0 loss, following Saturday’s Premier League defeat by Manchester City.

And manager Tuchel held up his hands afterwards in an honest appraisal of Chelsea’s shortcomings.

“We were so good yesterday in training, and not good enough, not free enough today,” Tuchel told BT Sport.

“I felt us slow, tired, mentally slow for decision-making. It’s a strange one to analyse, but OK.

“I think we started not sharp enough, we had possession and possession, but the first 12, 15 minutes we could have harmed them much more.

“We should have been much, much sharper.

“We should have asked more questions.

“We had two big ball losses where we almost gave goals away. You cannot have this.

“We struggled to create our own rhythm, because they were so deep and so passive.

“We struggled to find our own intensity, to find the spaces.”

Chelsea’s loss leaves their Group H situation in the balance, but the Blues can still easily reach the knockout stages should they sharpen up performances and results.

Federico Bernardeschi missed a gilt-edged chance to double the hosts’ lead and kill the contest, before Romelu Lukaku blazed a fine opening wide for Chelsea.

Kai Havertz headed over from a corner at the death as the Blues pushed hard late on, but Juventus were good value for their win.

Caught napping for the goal with collective minds clearly still ruminating on half-time team talks, Chelsea were punished by Juve’s superior sharpness.

Lamenting the manner of the goal, Tuchel said: “It should be impossible to concede an easy goal like this at this level in the first seconds of the second half.

“You know what’s coming, you have defensive organisation like we have, so normally at all times it should be possible to defend it.

“And we got punished for it, of course.”

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UCL: CHIESA’S SECOND HALF STRIKE HELP JUVENTUS EDGE CHELSEA

Federico Chiesa’s rocket finish stunned Chelsea in Turin as Juventus condemned the Blues to a second straight 1-0 defeat.

Italy forward Chiesa sneaked in on goal and lashed past Edouard Mendy as Chelsea were caught cold just 11 seconds into the second half.

The visitors were still processing their half-time adjustments when Juventus struck, and Thomas Tuchel’s side never recovered.

Chelsea had opened their Champions League defence with a patchy 1-0 win over Zenit St Petersburg at Stamford Bridge on September 14, and this loss left their Group H status in the balance.

The Blues flailed at fluency in Saturday’s 1-0 Premier League home defeat to Manchester City, and four days later Tuchel’s men struggled for rhythm again.

Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz failed to hit the target with fine late chances, as Chelsea slipped to consecutive defeats for just the second time in Tuchel’s tenure.

Chelsea looked laboured and one-paced in a difficult first half where the hosts were able to shut out the Blues almost at will.

Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic conceded possession too cheaply too often, with the visiting deep-lying midfielders struggling with their spacing.

The pair stayed too close to each other too many times when on the ball, stunting the Blues’ attacking impetus.

Kovacic was forced to toe the ball away from Federico Bernardeschi just when the Juve forward was about to pull the trigger, in the first instance of the Blues losing the ball cheaply.

Croatia midfielder Kovacic was then reprieved for ceding possession when Adrien Rabiot botched a break with a poor pass.

And then Chiesa drilled just wide in the third instance of Chelsea losing the ball unnecessarily.

Havertz and Hakim Ziyech could neither push tight enough to Lukaku nor power beyond the Belgium striker.

Chelsea limped to half-time without conceding – but also without creating any clear-cut chances.

Ben Chilwell joined the fray after the break, but Tuchel’s half-time instructions were still ringing in Chelsea ears when Chiesa rifled the ball into the net.

Caught napping and punished squarely, Chelsea slipped deservedly behind and into big pressure.

The Blues settled down after conceding and started pinning Juve into their own half.

Territorial dominance alone could not unpick the Juventus rearguard however, and ahead of the hour Tuchel emptied the bench.

Jorginho, Ziyech and captain Cesar Azpilicueta were all hooked, in favour of Trevoh Chalobah, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Bernardeschi should have put the game out of sight only to bungle wide in a rare Juve breakout consisting of Rabiot’s raking pass and Juan Cuadrado’s fine first-time cross.

Ross Barkley was thrown into the mix as well, underscoring Tuchel’s desperation to force a change.

The one-time England midfielder made his first European appearance for Chelsea since August 2020, and offered a quick impact too.

The 27-year-old threaded a fine ball through for Lukaku, only for the £98million signing to blaze wide.

At the death Havertz headed over from a Chilwell corner, but while Chelsea will lament late chances missed the Blues will certainly admit falling short in Italy.

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CHELSEA’S NGOLO KANTE TO MISS JUVENTUS TIE AFTER TESTING POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante has tested positive for coronavirus and will miss Wednesday’s Champions League tie with Juventus.

The 30-year-old France international will isolate for 10 days.

He will not feature against Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday and is also likely to miss France’s Nations League game with Belgium on 7 October.

Blues boss Thomas Tuchel said he did not know how many of his players are vaccinated against Covid-19.

“We are a reflection of society, the players are adults and they have a free choice,” Tuchel told a news conference on Tuesday.

“We should accept it. This is more or less all I can say. I know the situation is far from over. It makes you very aware it is not over.”

When asked if players should lead by example and get the vaccine, Tuchel said: “Do I have the right to say it? I’m not so sure.

“It is a serious question, vaccinations seems to be a proper protection – I am vaccinated but I don’t see myself in the position to speak out on recommendations.”

Chelsea will also be without Reece James, Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount against Juventus.

Defender James injured his ankle against Manchester City on Saturday, while Mount and Pulisic are missing with longer-standing injuries.

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GABRIEL JESUS GIVES MANCITY VICTORY, ENDS CHELSEA UNBEATEN START

Gabriel Jesus fired an early Premier League warning shot as defending champions Manchester City toppled title rivals Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Brazil forward Jesus angled a deflected finish in the 53rd minute to help City leapfrog Chelsea in the table on goal difference, ending the Blues’ unbeaten league start.

City offered far the greater enterprise, with Jesus’ winner helping Pep Guardiola avoid an unwanted first of losing to the same rival manager four matches in succession.

Blues boss Thomas Tuchel and his team had sunk City three times last term, culminating in the 1-0 Champions League final triumph in Porto.

But in a new campaign that promises a mouthwatering title tussle between holders City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool, Guardiola’s men have delivered the first real statement victory.

City’s ferocious press stifled Chelsea throughout, and the visitors to west London coped easily with the hosts’ formation tweak.

Tuchel packed the midfield with all three of N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic, but that 3-5-2 left Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku too often too isolated up front.

Mason Mount’s injury absence robbed the Blues of a major pressing threat at the top of their tree however, handing the visitors time to build from the back.

Chelsea could do little more than contain the visitors in a first half where the home players found possession greatly limited.

The Blues certainly sacrificed a creative edge for that central stability, with Werner and Lukaku often isolated up front.

Werner did beat the City line once, but could not pick out Lukaku in the middle.

Kevin De Bruyne’s cutback found no one in the area for City, leaving Chelsea to breathe a sigh of relief, before Jorginho produced an important clearance after a Phil Foden corner.

Then, at the end of the half, Jesus hooked well wide from the best chance to that point.

The City forward smartly lost Antonio Rudiger in the box and teed himself up well – but undid the good work with a botched finish.

For once Tuchel resisted the temptation to make a half-time change, and no sooner had the second half started than the home boss would have wished he had twisted instead of stuck.

Jack Grealish offered a warning shot by curling one wide, before Jesus finally broke the deadlock.

Joao Cancelo’s low effort found its way to Jesus in the box, the Brazil forward spun in traffic and his low shot took a slight deflection en route to finding the Chelsea net. Edouard Mendy was left with no chance, as City gained just reward for boasting the greater attacking endeavour.

Grealish almost doubled City’s lead minutes later, but the former Aston Villa man angled his effort just wide after neatly stepping beyond Cesar Azpilicueta.

Just before the hour Tuchel finally made the first change, with Kai Havertz replacing Kante. France’s World Cup-winning midfielder had struggled to settle in his new role in Chelsea’s three-man midfield.

City pressed on undeterred however, and Silva had to clear Jesus’ shot off the line after Grealish again left Azpilicueta for dead.

Lukaku thought he had equalised for Chelsea from Havertz’s square pass, only for the Germany star to be rightly ruled offside in the build-up.

Chelsea continued to press but with no clear incision, despite greatly raising their tempo.

But City could have wrapped up the win when Grealish ghosted through on goal, only for Mendy to stand him up and produce a fine save.

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CHELSEA BEAT TOUGH ASTONVILLA SIDE IN PENALTY SHOOT-OUT, ADVANCE TO CARABAO FOURTH ROUND

A much-changed Chelsea side crept into the fourth round of the League Cup as they beat Aston Villa 4-3 on penalties after the Stamford Bridge clash ended 1-1 on Wednesday.

Manchester United crashed out though as West Ham United avenged a weekend loss in the Premier League to claim a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford with Manuel Lanzini scoring early.

Tottenham Hotspur surrendered an early 2-0 lead at Wolverhampton Wanderers but eventually won 3-2 on penalties as manager Nuno Espirito Santo claimed his second win of the season against his former club.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel made 10 changes to his starting lineup and German striker Timo Werner took his opportunity to give his side the lead in the 54th minute as he headed a Reece James cross past Villa keeper Jed Steer.

It was Werner’s first goal of the season and he wasted another chance to make it 2-0 before Villa hit back through youngster Cameron Archer’s header to send the tie into the penalty shootout.

Ben Chilwell struck the bar when he could have won it for Chelsea but James made no mistake as his spot kick found the top corner of the net.

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THOMAS TUCHEL DEFENDS MARCOS ALONSO’S DECISION TO STOP TAKING THE KNEE

Thomas Tuchel has defended Marcos Alonso’s decision to stop taking the knee before Chelsea matches.

Blues defender Alonso has explained he will continue to stand and point to the ‘No To Racism’ badge on his shirt, insisting taking the knee has lost some of its impact.

And now Chelsea boss Tuchel has thrown his support behind the Spanish full-back, insisting that the 30-year-old is “absolutely committed against racism”.

Chelsea’s other players are expected to continue to take the knee, but manager Tuchel is confident Alonso’s motives are solely positive in the fight against discrimination.

“It wasn’t a discussion within the group but of course if a player takes a decision like this, we are not in a bubble, so of course discussions come up,” said Tuchel.

“The most important thing for me is that I know Marcos personally and I trust 1000 per cent that he is absolutely committed against racism, any form of racism.

“And there is no question about it. We are all against it. We took altogether the decision to take the knee.

“Maybe it takes sometimes an action against a routine to wake up again and have another good discussion and the discussion takes a new direction.

“Because we want to do the most we can against racism and stand up against it. So there are different forms of doing it.

“Marcos took his decision, he’s a grown up, a responsible person. This is his decision and we accept it and he gave his reasons for it.

“And from here the discussion can end or it can go on in a productive way.

“The most important thing for me is that we live it every single day and this is what we do in Cobham.”

Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha stopped taking the knee last season, opting to stand instead in his own protest against racism and discrimination.

Alonso is the latest Premier League star to take their own approach and the former Real Madrid defender has the full backing of his club.

Asked if he could understand Alonso’s reasoning, Tuchel said: “There are so many games maybe it becomes normal, maybe it lowers the effect of it: if this is his point I can see his point.

“We can now see if it’s necessary to have this discussion and for him to be the only guy to stand up.

“He is experienced enough, responsible enough and that’s the way it is.

“This development also started with single people taking the knee and then became a bigger thing.

“And I think Marcos’ point is that it cannot end like this, it cannot become normal. It should be normal that we are against racism.

“I understand that Marcos thinks there is always more to do, and it’s also right.

“At the same time we also want to focus on sport, but use the platform and use the possibilities that we have in how we live together and how we produce performances together is living by example and I think this is the most important part.”

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CHELSEA THRASH SORRY SPURS 3-0 TO GO TOP OF THE TABLE

Thomas Tuchel’s half-time intervention allowed Chelsea to show their Premier League title challenging credentials with an impressive 3-0 win at Tottenham.

After being second best in the first half, Tuchel introduced N’Golo Kante and switched formation and it paid immediate dividends as Thiago Silva and the Frenchman both scored in the opening 12 minutes of the second half, with Antonio Rudiger adding a late third.

It extended their unbeaten start to the season and this statement victory – their third successive win at Spurs’ new home – shows they will be contenders to win the title this season.

Tottenham – like Chelsea – were mourning the death of Jimmy Greaves and they are a million miles away from the side that Greaves was a rampant scorer in during the 1960s and even further away from the one that reached the Champions League final just over two years ago.

After winning their opening three games under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo, things are beginning to unravel with a second successive 3-0 defeat in the league.

There are serious concerns over the form of Harry Kane, who was desperate to leave the club this summer and on this evidence it is easy to see why.

With the death of Greaves announced early on Sunday, this was a perfect fixture considering he played for both teams.

The atmosphere was heightened by a warming pre-match tribute to Greaves, where a host of former players came pitchside to join in the minute’s applause for Tottenham’s record goalscorer, who scored 266 goals in 379 appearances.

Tottenham fed off the energy of that and started the game brightly, with two loose balls in the area just evading Giovani Lo Celso.

Chelsea were a threat on the counter-attack, though, and had Spurs on the rack as they broke in a three-on-two situation.

Mason Mount fed Romelu Lukaku, whose return ball was under-hit, allowing Emerson Royal to get across and block Mount’s shot.

With Kane, Son Heung-min, Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli in the team there was a different feel about Spurs from the one that limped to a 3-0 defeat at Crystal Palace last week and they had two big openings.

Son, returning from an injury, sent Sergio Reguilon through on goal and the Spaniard had the opportunity to drive in on goal, but instead he tried to pass to Lo Celso and the ball was cut out.

Then, just after the half-hour it was Son who was in after a Lo Celso pass, but the South Korean’s touch was heavy and Kepa Arrizabalaga came out to block the shot.

Tuchel was not happy with what he saw and brought Kante on at half-time and switched to a 3-5-2 formation.

And it transformed the game as Chelsea took a 49th-minute lead.

Marcos Alonso had a flying shot tipped over by Hugo Lloris and at a second corner from that save, Silva climbed highest and found the bottom corner with his header.

Chelsea were rampant and deserved the luck they got for their second goal just before the hour.

Lo Celso ran into trouble and was dispossessed, with Kante afforded space to line up a shot, which took a wicked deflection off Eric Dier and flew into the bottom corner.

Spurs – seemingly shattered from their first-half exertions – had nothing in the way of a response, with Kane’s fizzed shot at Arrizabalaga their only meaningful effort of the second half.

At the other end Chelsea had enough chances to rack up a handsome victory, but Lloris saved well from Silva, Timo Werner was twice denied when through on goal and Lukaku headed straight at the Frenchman.

Eventually the third goal came in injury time as Rudiger swept home Werner’s cross as Chelsea end the weekend on top of the Premier League table.

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FORMER ENGLAND, CHELSEA AND SPURS STRIKER JIMMY GREAVES DIES AT 81

Former England, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur striker Jimmy Greaves has died. He was 81.

One of England’s greatest forwards, Greaves scored 44 goals in 57 international appearances and is Spurs’ record goal-scorer with 266 goals in 279 games.

Greaves also played for AC Milan and West Ham United and scored a total of 366 top-flight goals during a 14-year career, which stood as a record for most goals scored in Europe’s top five leagues for 46 years until it was broken by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2017.

A member of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning squad, Greaves missed out on the final after getting injured during the tournament. He was replaced by Geoff Hurst, who scored a hat trick in England’s 4-2 win against West Germany.

Alcoholism cut Greaves’ career short at the age of 31, and he also had health issues during his later years and suffered strokes in 2012 and 2015.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher described Greaves as “the best goal scorer we have seen”, while Spurs striker Harry Kane called him “a true legend.”

Gary Lineker, a former Tottenham and England striker, said: “Terribly sad news that Jimmy Greaves has died. Quite possibly the greatest striker this country has ever produced. A truly magnificent footballer who was at home both in the box and on the box. A charismatic, knowledgeable, witty and warm man. A giant of the sport.”

England manager Gareth Southgate said the national team would pay tribute to Greaves in next month’s World Cup qualifier against Hungary at Wembley, while Spurs and Chelsea also paid tribute to their former player.

“Jimmy Greaves was someone who was admired by all who love football, regardless of club allegiances,” Southgate said in a statement released by the Football Association.

“I was privileged to be able to meet Jimmy’s family last year at Tottenham Hotspur as the club marked his 80th birthday. My thoughts are with them and I know the entire game will mourn his passing.”

Born in east London in 1940, Greaves signed for Chelsea and made his professional debut at the age of 17. He scored 132 goals in 169 games, racking up 100 league goals by the time he turned 20.

He attracted interest from Italy and signed with AC Milan in 1961, but only managed 12 appearances and nine goals in his single season at the club.

Greaves returned to England with Spurs in 1962 for £99,000 and scored in the FA Cup final as Tottenham lifted the trophy that season.

His nine seasons in north London coincided with the most successful decade in the club’s history. Greaves would also win the FA Cup with Spurs in 1967, as well as the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1963.

Greaves made his England debut in 1959, scoring in a 4-1 win against Peru. He holds the record for the most hat tricks scored by an England player and netted the first of his six in an 8-0 win against Luxembourg in 1960.

He scored the last of his 44 England goals in 1967 and is fourth on England’s all-time goal-scorers list behind Wayne Rooney, Bobby Charlton and Gary Lineker.

After leaving Spurs in 1969, Greaves moved across London to sign for West Ham, where he stayed for two seasons until 1971. Due to alcoholism and fitness issues, Greaves was less prolific during his final two years in the top flight and scored 13 goals in 40 appearances for West Ham before he retired in 1971 at the age of 31.

After retiring, Greaves pursued a career in broadcast media and presented popular football talk show “Saint and Greavsie” alongside former Liverpool striker Ian St John from 1985 to 1992.

Greaves eventually received his World Cup winners medal in 2009. Due to FIFA rules which were subsequently overturned, only the players who finished England’s 4-2 win over West Germany on the pitch received winners’ medals in 1966.

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ROMELU LUKAKU’S STRIKE HELP CHAMPIONS CHELSEA CLAIM SLIM VICTORY AGAINST ZENIT

Romelu Lukaku’s pinpoint header rescued Chelsea’s first match as Champions League holders in a 1-0 win over Zenit St Petersburg.

Belgium hitman Lukaku bagged his third goal in two games and his fourth for Chelsea since his £98million switch from Inter Milan.

The 28-year-old converted captain Cesar Azpilicueta’s hanging far-post cross with a header of stunning accuracy, and that after shrugging aside three touch-tight Zenit defenders.

Chelsea laboured past a resolute and regimented Zenit, for much of the match running the risk of limping to a dispiriting draw.

But then Lukaku rose up, highest of all, to nod home and turn the night entirely.

Both Chelsea and Lukaku have been clear from the start: the Anderlecht product has come to west London to score goals and win matches.

So far, so very good for the talismanic striker.

Last season Chelsea would have drawn this match. Lukaku’s prowess and presence have already delivered a major impact, with the Blues’ rivals in all competitions taking ominous note.

Had Artem Dzyuba slid the ball home for Zenit from mere yards out late on the tie would have harboured a very different hue.

But Chelsea escaped unscathed, to swipe three important points from the opening Group H encounter.

A belated Uefa individual awards presentation ceremony before kick-off whipped up a victory parade atmosphere in west London.

Thomas Tuchel received his Uefa manager of the year gong for last term, with Edouard Mendy presented his trophy for goalkeeper of the year.

Jorginho finally got his hands on his player of the season silverware too, as the Blues paid reverence to last term’s Champions League triumph.

Uefa figurehead Aleksander Ceferin was on hand to dole out the pre-match prizes, and an entirely underwhelming first-half proved a true case of after the president’s show.

Chelsea could not convert their general comfort into genuine openings, leaving Stamford Bridge to a man frustrated at the interval.

Try as they might the Blues could not carve open Zenit’s regimented defence.

The visitors ultimately had the most credible half-chance before the break despite minimal possession. Reece James lifted the ball off Claudinho’s toe, however, to ease the danger.

Hakim Ziyech struck Chelsea’s first shot on target shortly after half-time, but it took a mammoth run from Toni Rudiger to lift the crowd.

The Germany defender cantered 70 yards into the Zenit box, before lashing a shot wildly wide. Once the gritty centre-back had found that position, he should truly have hit the target.

But the resolve to run all but the length of the field proved enough to get the home faithful on their feet.

Mateo Kovacic threaded a lovely ball to Ziyech but the Morocco forward could not pick out anyone in the centre of the box.

James then tiptoed around the back of Zenit’s defence but could not test Stanislav Kritsyuk in the visitors’ goal.

As Chelsea pressed and lost an edge of control, Sardar Azmoun almost sneaked through on goal – with Rudiger required to blast away to safety.

Just as Chelsea’s nerves started to twitch for a breakthrough though, up popped Lukaku with a fine headed finish.

Azpilicueta’s hanging far-post cross begged to be turned home but still required an inch-perfect contact.

Not even the posse of three Zenit defenders swarming him could deny Lukaku however, with the talisman striker nodding the ball out of everyone’s reach and into the net.

Replacement forward Dzyuba should have found the net when sliding in towards a low centre that left him in a heap with Mendy.

His miss proved the closest Zenit could come to opening up the Blues, with the hosts negotiating the final stages to seal the win.

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Cesar Azpilicueta hails 10-man Chelsea’s team spirit after draw with Liverpool

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 28: Jordan Henderson of Liverpool squares up to Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea and Romelu Lukaku of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield on August 28, 2021 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta was delighted by the togetherness and spirit shown in adversity as Thomas Tuchel’s men secured a 1-1 draw at Liverpool.

Anfield hosted an intense clash between two of the Premier League title favourites on Saturday evening, with the visitors opening the scoring as Kai Havertz sent home a looping header in front of the Kop.

Chelsea could have added another before the dynamics changed at the end of the first half, when referee Anthony Taylor sent off Reece James for handling an attempt on the line after reviewing the pitchside monitor.

Mohamed Salah scored the resulting spot-kick but the Blues put in a defensive masterclass to secure a draw despite playing 45 minutes a man light.

“We had to fight,” Azpilicueta told the club website. “When you are one man down for the whole second half, it is really tough but it was a challenge for us.

“Everybody had the ambition to go even for a win and we actually had the best two chances in the second half even though they had a lot of possession.

“The team spirit was brilliant from everybody, we fought together and we got the least reward of a point.”

Chelsea let their anger known at the decision to send off James before and after Salah scored from the spot, but they managed to channel it effectively.

“Of course we were angry and everyone had emotions at half-time but we had to adapt,” the Spain defender said. “It was important for us to calm down and find a way to fight together as a team, to have this challenge in a tough place like Anfield.

“Everybody defended really well, right from Romelu (Lukaku), who had a game where he had to sacrifice for the team.

“We had to make two changes at half-time and had one red card but we adapted really well to the situation.”

Mateo Kovacic replaced injured star N’Golo Kante at the break and wily defender Thiago Silva’s introduction proved inspired as he helped shore things up.

It was an impressive, well-drilled performance given Tuchel’s men are still a work in progress but Azpilicueta is not getting ahead of himself.

“We are a team that has had a few changes so everybody is pushing hard,” he said after making his 300th Premier League appearance.

“We want to compete and we want to improve every day as a team so we just have to keep working.

“It is still only the end of August and we’ve played only three games so let’s go step by step. We have conceded only one goal in the three games so let’s keep working and focusing on ourselves.”

As for Liverpool, there was an air of frustration after they failed to turn their man advantage and increased second-half pressure into a second-half winner.

“It just wasn’t our day,” 18-year-old Harvey Elliott told the club website. “We tried what we could, gave it 100 per cent and unfortunately we came away with the draw.

“I think the mood in the changing room is a bit down because obviously we wanted to come away with the win against 10 men.

“Chelsea obviously are a top-class side, they fought until the very end and were hard to break down, so you’ve got to give them credit.

“It wasn’t really our day. We’ll reflect and go again against Leeds.”

Saturday’s match was a big occasion for the teenager, who repaid manager Jurgen Klopp’s faith in him with a promising performance.

Harvey Elliott in action against Chelsea

“I just take every opportunity in my stride,” Elliott added.

“Obviously 10 minutes against Norwich, then my first start against Burnley, so (I’m) just taking it bit by bit, just grateful for all the opportunities I’ve been given.

“I’m just thankful for the coaching staff and for the team for believing in me and giving me these opportunities.

“When you’re on the pitch you’ve just got to focus, you’ve just got to give it 100 per cent and you focus on the excitement after.

“It’s every boy’s dream to play in front of this crowd at Anfield and to put on this red strip. I just want to give 100 per cent to the club, I just want to play for the club and just run my socks off until I can’t run any more, to be honest.”