Chelsea legend, Eden Hazard was spotted at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea took on Liverpool in their Premier League opener.
Eden Hazard, is currently out of contract after Real Madrid reached a mutual agreement with the Belgian star in June to terminate his contract at the end of the 2022-23 season.
The Belgian enjoyed seven years of success at Chelsea between 2012 and 2019, winning two Premier League trophies and other silverware, before joining Spanish giant Real Madrid, where he spent four years as a player.
Now, as a free agent searching for his next challenge, a user of X, formerly called Twitter, posted a picture with Chelsea’s legend, Eden Hazard, at the ground before the 4:30pm kick-off in West London.
Meanwhile, with injuries hunting Mauricio Pochettino’s squad and a number of new signings made, some joked he may soon be making a return to the club in a playing capacity.
Chelsea 1-1 LiverPool: The Blues fight back to draw with Liverpool
Chelsea new gaffer Mauricio Pochettino saw the team he rebuilt in the close season fight back to draw 1-1 at home to Liverpool in their Premier League opener on Sunday as debutant defender Axel Disasi cancelled out Luis Diaz’s opener.
The away team LiverPool took the lead through Luis Diaz early in the game before the defender’s debut goal made it 1-1 – a scoreline that would remain the same despite lots of efforts from both side.
The match began with an exciting and back-and-forth start, as Enzo Fernandez’s shot from just outside the six-yard box was expertly blocked by Ibrahima Konate. Moments later, the Reds charged down the opposite end and struck the crossbar with a powerful shot. Mohamed Salah seized possession on the box’s edge, gracefully curling the ball over Robert Sanchez and onto the upright.
A few minutes afterward, Chelsea’s recent signing Nicolas Jackson nearly broke the deadlock. Dashing towards the near post, he toe-poked a low cross from Reece James towards the goal, only for Alisson Becker to pull off a smart save.
However, the 18th minute saw Jackson and Chelsea rue their missed opportunity as Luis Diaz capitalized, putting the Blues behind 1-0. A remarkable through ball found Diaz at the back post, and he managed to poke a shot past Sanchez into the net.
Salah thought he had turned from a provider to a goalscorer at the half-hour mark, sprinting behind Chelsea’s defense to connect with a Trent Alexander-Arnold pass. He calmly chipped the ball over Sanchez, but the goal was disallowed after a swift VAR review for offside.
Chelsea found their way back into the game in the 36th minute through Disasi. Displaying unexpected striker’s instincts, the new signing reacted quickly to a Ben Chilwell header, neatly sweeping the ball past Alisson.
A minute later, Chelsea’s potential second goal was ruled out by a VAR offside call. Chilwell managed to get behind Liverpool’s backline, elegantly maneuvering around Alisson and slotting the ball into an empty net.
Throughout the rest of the first half, the home team continued to exert their dominance. Yet, despite a fantastic low cross from James, Jackson missed a golden opportunity, sending his shot well over the crossbar.
The second half began with the away team displaying confidence, but it was Chelsea that fashioned the first significant chance in the 53rd minute. A fluid play from right to left culminated in Fernandez sending Chilwell through on the left side of the box. Alisson, however, made a solid save to deny Chilwell’s attempt.
Alisson’s intervention was once again required in the 70th minute, when Jackson sprinted past Ibrahima Konate and entered the penalty area. Alisson anticipated the forward’s shot well, thwarting the attempt with his body.
In the final moments of the game, Darwin Nunez came agonizingly close to securing the winning goal. The new number nine cut inside from the left, elegantly curling a side-footed effort narrowly wide of the right post.