Chelsea

Will Faulks
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

A win before the international break is always nice. A win over the reigning champions is even better. Getting both, with a patched-up squad on the back of a couple of weeks of rising tension? That's really special.

Chelsea's win over Liverpool on Saturday brought their best performance of the season and the most raucous Stamford Bridge atmosphere perhaps since the Blues beat Manchester United 4-3 18 months ago. It could not have come at a better time for the team and their manager Enzo Maresca.

The injury crisis that meant they started the fixture eight players and with a makeshift defence only got worse through the course of game. But in two weeks a host of first-team players will be back fit and others will have had a vital restorative rest.

That should mean the team's prospects improving rapidly, especially with Nottingham Forest, Ajax, Sunderland and Wolves up next. Win all four of those and Chelsea will be looking good in three competitions, with the likes of Liam Delap and Cole Palmer back or at least close to a return.

Positive results will, in turn, lift the pressure on Maresca and his players, helping them to play better.

A win against a strong team (albeit one with problems of its own) should not allow anyone to be distracted from the ongoing issues with this side, however. Even in this match, shots and chances from open play were in short supply. The fact that Liverpool were willing to attack suited Chelsea, but the four games after the break will see sides setting up much more defensively.

This fortnight brings important breathing room - but the manager and his staff need to make the most of it if they want to kick on later this month.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external

On the latest episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, former Premier League defender Connor Coady says he doesn't understand the criticism surrounding Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.

Having played under Marescsa himself, Coady says his style was "one of the most enjoyable ways to play football," and believes that Chelsea's players are enjoying playing under him as well.

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

Crystal Palace plan to offer midfielder Adam Wharton a new contract to try to ward off interest from Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City in the 21-year-old England midfielder. (Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca couldn't control his celebrations after Estevao Willian's 95th-minute winner against Liverpool, landing himself a second yellow card of the game, a sending off and a one-game suspension.

It is his second touchline ban since becoming a Premier League manager in June 2024. He served his first suspension in April 2025 after picking up a third yellow card of the season while celebrating Pedro Neto's 93rd-minute winner at Fulham.

Several questions have been sent in via our 'Ask about Chelsea' form about the suspension and what it will mean for the club when they travel to Nottingham Forest after the October international break.

Where will Maresca be sitting? Will he be able to make contact with the players during the match? Will he be allowed in the dressing room at half-time?

In short, the Football Association (FA), external sets out where head coaches can or cannot go before, during and after a match when a touchline ban has been issued.

The Italian boss will be required to sit in the directors' box at the City Ground. If there isn't a seat available in the directors' box, he will need to "sit in a stand away from opposition supporters and away from the vicinity of the technical area".

Other restrictions include not being allowed to sit near the club's designated dugout, go near the field of play or shout instructions down to his staff.

Maresca won't be banned from entering Chelsea's dressing room though, as the FA rules state that he is allowed in there before kick-off, at half-time and at full-time.

He will also be able to communicate with his staff "by means of telephone, a runner or any other electronic device such as a radio or mobile phone" during the match.

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Chelsea captain Reece James has withdrawn from the England squad for this month's international fixtures after picking up an injury against Liverpool.

The defender had been named in Thomas Tuchel's original squad for the October internationals against Wales and Latvia.

In his absence, Manchester City midfielder Nico O'Reilly has received his first senior England call-up, moving up from the Under-21s squad.

England face Wales at Wembley on Thursday, 9 October in an Alzheimer's Society International before travelling to Riga to take on Latvia in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, 14 October.

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Chelsea and Liverpool.

Here are some of your comments:

Chelsea fans

Evan: Honestly one of the best Chelsea performances I've seen in a long time. The last 15 minutes of the game we dominated and deserved to win as we did. Estevao looks brilliant and I'm excited to see him in the future when he is in his prime.

Fossie: A superb win. A stunning performance from Moises Caicedo, and a brilliant goal. It would have been easy for our heads to drop after the equaliser, but Chelsea came back stronger for it. The winner was an excellently crafted goal. Injuries in the back line are a concern, but a bit of time for some recoveries now. Well done Chelsea.

Rod: One of the best performances for years. It proves that it is there, just got to stop the boring wasteful side-and-back passing. Keep playing like this!

Scott: Really controlled performance from Chelsea in the first half - absolute mayhem in the second due to the defensive substitutions. Excellent win and Enzo Maresca deserves credit as he went for it - more of that please.

Liverpool fans

Fraser: People were scapegoating Florian Wirtz for our performances lately - we were actually better when he came on. Wirtz and Alexander Isak are not the problem - the problem is clearly tactical/systematic. I don't think Arne Slot knows what his best starting XI is or how to best utilise them. That, combined with key veterans struggling for form, especially Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konate and Alexis Mac Allister. We're too exposed at the back and we're far too slow and cautious going forward. The international break couldn't have come at a better time.

Killian: No point hiding it - that was a dreadful performance. The lads look like they don't know each other. Total faith in Slot and the team to turn it around. I genuinely believe we have an elite squad - we just need to bring it together. YNWA!

Andrew: Time to recognise Salah has passed his peak and let Federico Chiesa have his chance. Overall, too many established players underperforming at the same time and apart from Hugo Ekitike, all the other newcomers have distinctly disappointed. Time for Slot to earn his coin.

Rae: Another desperately nervous performance - Milos Kerkez not yet settled, Conor Bradley trying too hard and Konate out of form. Slot is also trying to force the likes of Wirtz and Isak into an unsuitable formation.

Chelsea are interested in signing Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo and are willing to pay about £78m for the 25-year-old Ghana striker. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

However, the Blues will not make a move for Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, 25, despite the England defender being available on a free transfer next summer. (Express), external

Meanwhile, Juventus have rejected a bid of about £58m from the Blues for 20-year-old Turkey forward Kenan Yildiz. (TuttoJuve via Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

In Brazil, Estevao had already emerged as a star player for one of the country's biggest clubs, and earned seven caps for the national team which is now led by legendary former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti.

It has, understandably, taken slightly longer for him to settle in England having arrived after the conclusion of this summer's Club World Cup.

"We know that a young player can suffer when he moves from another country to settle down here and to play for this club," said Chelsea assistant coach Willy Caballero, in the absence of Maresca after his red card.

"So the players, first of all, are doing a great job to involve all the new players. And when we have the chance, we work.

"I can speak with him most of the time in Spanish because he understands. And he's a really good kid. And we are so happy for him because he needs it, we need it, and he needs a goal as well."

Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin believes Estevao is "going to be special".

"Every time any Chelsea player gets the ball, they try to find Estevao," said Nevin on BBC Radio 5 Live. "That tells you a story about a player.

"He's an 18-year-old but everyone wants to give him the ball. That just shows what he's capable of and what he's doing in training. He's going to be special."

Read the full analysis on Estevao's performance against Liverpool

Pundits Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures and Friday's action.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

• Manchester United 2-0 Sunderland

• Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Eighteen-year-old winger Estevao delivered Chelsea's best moment of the early part of the season with his last-gasp winner against the champions.

It was the first Blues goal for a wonderkid who has already started games for Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti - and who is regarded by many back home as the next star attacker from one of football's great talent factories.

Before his £51m move to Chelsea, Estevao had already become the first under-18 player to record 20 goals and assists for his former club Palmeiras, beating a record once held by Neymar.

His first Blues goal has taken a while to arrive but it came just when they needed it, as manager Maresca threw him - and other teenagers Marc Guiu and Gittens - on to win the match.

Estevao might be Chelsea's rising star, but Ecuador midfielder Caicedo is arguably the Blues' key man.

The £115m signing opened the scoring with a stunning strike and came close with another long-range effort in the 89th minute.

Then he showcased his defensive qualities by tracking Robertson's dangerous deep run four minutes into injury time.

Caicedo - who nearly joined Liverpool - must be in discussions for the best midfielder in the league.

One disappointing note for Chelsea will be the loss of their centre-back pairing Josh Acheampong and Benoit Badiashile to injury.

Their withdrawals in the second half leave the Blues without six central defenders with five injured and one out through suspension.

Chelsea assistant manager Willy Caballero on manager Enzo Maresca after he was sent off for celebrating a last-minute winner against Liverpool: "He's OK. He's so happy now. Of course he cannot be here now but we are so happy that we achieved the three points in the last seconds. We are so happy and so proud. The players did a fantastic job. Now is a good break for many of them and hopefully we can recover a few more players and start the new cycle of games with energy."

On scoring in the last minute: "It is extra special because you win energy, trust, confidence in the process. I think the atmosphere in the stadium gives us more. It's unforgettable. So now we have to take this to keep growing. It's a shame we have the break now but we have a really good connection between the players and the supporters. We have a very young squad."

On the team's unity: "We suffer another red card today (laughs) but we finish strong. We know that we are a good team that plays football and we create chances in the first half. We deserve the second goal in the second half. In the way we fought today, with four full-backs in the back four is incredible. All of us are so proud of our players. We don't look for excuses, we find solutions."

On injuries to Badiashile and Acheampong: "They are OK. They were a little bit concerned about their situations but we talked with them and they are OK. They need this break to recover well."

On Maresca's celebration: "It's something special for any manager, no manager can hold inside what they feel. Unfortunately for him he was already on a yellow. We are all human beings. We have been players, we love to see that. For sure all of us we can learn from that as well."

Did you know?

• Chelsea are now unbeaten across their last five Premier League home games against Liverpool (W2 D3), their longest such run against the Reds since 1991-2003 (13 games, W9 D4).

• Enzo Maresca and Arne Slot both received yellow cards (Maresca also a red), the first game of the 2025/26 Premier League season in which both managers were shown cards.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Chelsea's performance

What did you make of Liverpool's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, Gusto, Acheampong, Badiashile, Cucurella, Caicedo, James, Pedro Neto, Fernandez, Garnacho, Joao Pedro

Subs: Jorgensen, Slonina, Hato, Emenalo, Lavia, Buonanotte, Gittens, Estevao Willian, Guiu

Liverpool XI: Mamardashvili, Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Salah, Isak, Gakpo

Subs: Woodman, Gomez, Endo, Robertson, Frimpong, Jones, Ekitike, Chiesa, Wirtz

There are four games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Leeds United v Tottenham (12:30)

• Arsenal v West Ham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Manchester United v Sunderland - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Chelsea v Liverpool (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v West Ham" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Liverpool", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Chelsea's back-to-back league defeats by Manchester United and Brighton have been a classic case of them shooting themselves in the foot.

If they had kept 11 men on the pitch in both matches it would have had a huge impact.

So, that is their first aim here and if it is 11 v 11 then Chelsea can hurt Liverpool, even without Cole Palmer, because the Reds are at sixes and sevens at the back.

I am tempted to go with a draw but this is a big game and I want to be brave and pick a winner.

I am going to stick my neck out and back my old team to make it a hat-trick of defeats for Arne Slot.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea, who have lost back-to-back league fixtures, take on a Liverpool side beaten in their past two matches. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Saturday's game.

This match pits the Club World Cup winners against the reigning Premier League champions but neither side are exactly at their best right now.

Defeats by Manchester United and Brighton have left Chelsea at risk of losing three top-flight games in a row for the first time since May 2023.

The Blues did at least get back to winning ways in midweek, defeating Benfica 1-0 on Jose Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge. However, the Londoners had Joao Pedro sent off in the closing stages, their third red card in the space of four games.

While it was not as costly as Robert Sanchez's dismissal at Old Trafford or Trevoh Chalobah's versus Brighton, it has led to increased scrutiny of Chelsea's poor disciplinary record under Enzo Maresca. They have received 118 cards in the Premier League since the start of last season, more than any other club going into the latest round of matches.

Could Reds lose three in a row for first time under Slot?

Liverpool's run of seven successive wins came to a juddering halt in the past week, with the Reds beaten at Crystal Palace and Galatasaray, and now in danger of losing three games in a row for the first time under Arne Slot.

The Dutchman has pinpointed small margins as the difference but insists his side "are not so far" away from the levels they showed last season.

One area where there is clear room for improvement is when it comes to defending set-pieces, with four of the seven Premier League goals they have conceded coming in this fashion.

At this stage 12 months ago, the Merseysiders had conceded just two top-flight goals, neither of which was from a set-piece. They also earned four clean sheets in their first six matches, twice as many as in the current campaign.

Despite changes to personnel leaving Liverpool with a slightly more attacking line-up, they haven't faced more shots or shots on target in the current campaign – those numbers are largely similar. But they are conceding far more high-quality chances, with the expected goals total by their opponents 2.4 greater than at the same stage last year.

As a result, there has been a dramatic drop in the Reds' save percentage, which has fallen from almost 90% to 56%. First-choice goalkeeper Alisson will miss the trip to Stamford Bridge through injury so a testing Premier League debut awaits for Giorgi Mamardashvili, who will need to be given better protection, particularly from set-pieces.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge (kick-off 17:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Maresca confirmed there will be a "meeting" about Cole Palmer during the international break to assess when he can return. He also added that they will be without eight players on Saturday, including suspended Trevoh Chalobah.

• The Chelsea boss feels they did "very, very well" in the first four or five games of the season, but recent ones have been more "complicated" because of red cards and the injury situation. He added: "Slowly, we will again be where we need to be."

• On whether the Blues have a discipline problem: "You have to analyse [them] case by case - whether it's a red card for bad intention or for bad discipline. The Brighton and Manchester United red cards are different. It's the decision that you take in two or three seconds - whether or not you foul. It's difficult."

• He added: "I don't see any discipline problem. Even if we concede red cards, it's not a problem. It's for different reasons."

• Clarifying previous comments around Liverpool being impossible to catch, Maresca explained: "There is vulnerability about everything in the world, not just Liverpool. After five games, they had 15 points, but now they lost one or two games and that shows there is vulnerability.. In Premier League you can drop points against any team."

• On whether the Reds are the measuring stick for Chelsea: "Yes, I consider them the best team, at this moment, in England. We are improving, trying to solve problems and find solutions. At the end, we are going to be there close."

• Striker Marc Guiu, who was recalled from his loan at Sunderland but has yet to feature, has been "much better [in training] compared to the first weeks" and "will get minutes and games".

• On whether he would consider playing Estevao Willian as a number 10 in Palmer's absence: "Estevao reminds me of Cole when Cole was with me in the under-23s at Manchester City. Cole's path is similar to Estevao path - starting wide as winger and then slowly moving inside. The Premier League is different to other leagues - you have to be physically prepared to be number 10. Cole developed that and I see Estevao in same way."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary of Chelsea v Liverpool on BBC Radio 5 Live at 17:30 on Saturday

Dan Roan
Sports editor

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A decision on whether to scrap the Premier League's controversial Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and adopt an "alternative system" is "coming up", says chief executive Richard Masters.

The current regulations, introduced in 2015-16 to prevent clubs from overspending, allow losses of £105m over a three-year reporting cycle.

However, they have been criticised by several top-flight teams for limiting their ability to invest.

BBC Sport has been told a decision on any changes is likely to be made at a meeting in November.

In February, clubs chose to continue with PSR for the current season.

However a squad cost ratio (SCR) system of financial control was adopted by the Premier League on a shadowing, non-binding basis.

SCR is similar to Uefa's existing financial rules and allows clubs to spend up to a percentage of their total revenues on squad-related costs.

Nine of the league's 20 clubs already have to comply with Uefa's SCR as a result of qualifying for Europe. Both Chelsea and Aston Villa were fined by Uefa in July for breaching the rules.

Asked about SCR at the Leaders sports conference in London, Masters said: "We are talking to our clubs about an alternative system. That's not to say we don't think the PSR system works."

He added: "It's about closer alignment with European regulation, which is squad cost ratio, which is a revenue test. In Uefa, it's now set at 70%. Our system will be 85% because we always want our clubs to have the ability to invest.

"The Premier League has been built on the back of investment in which international capital flows [are] coming in. We don't want that to be to be stifled off."

Read more here