The Pochettino effect: Chelsea set possession benchmark against Liverpool

A head-turning statistic, centering on Chelsea’s showing against Liverpool, has come to the fore late on Sunday evening.

The Blues, of course, marked their return to action a short time ago.

In their opening fixture of the new campaign, Mauricio Pochettino’s troops welcomed the aforementioned Liverpool to Stamford Bridge, for a highly-anticipated Premier League clash.

When all was said and done in an all-action affair, the spoils were ultimately shared, by way of a 1-1 stalemate.

Luis Diaz was on target for Liverpool, with debutant Axel Disasi having levelled things up for hosts Chelsea late in the first-half.

Chelsea, post-match, came in for widespread praise, with the capital giants, in their very first competitive outing under the watch of new boss Pochettino, having looked vastly improved in comparison to last season.

Central to this improvement was a new-look confidence and intent when in possession, with the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Nico Jackson and Reece James having thoroughly impressed on the ball.

And Chelsea’s showing did not only pass the eye test.

In addition, it did the job from a statistical standpoint.

As revealed by statisticians Opta, the Blues’ 65.4% possession figure on Sunday marked the most racked up by a Chelsea side against Liverpool since records began back in 2003.

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